Man, 46,
dies from firework injuries, taking death toll to two
January 2,
2025
https://www.dutchnews.nl/2025/01/man-46-dies-from-firework-injuries-taking-death-toll-to-two/
A
46-year-old man who was badly injured in an accident involving fireworks on New
Year’s Eve has died in hospital, Tiel town council has confirmed to local
broadcaster Omroep Gelderland.
The man, who
came from Buren, is the second person to die from a firework injury during the
New Year festivities. A 14-year-old boy from Rotterdam died on December 31
while trying to light an extremely powerful and illegal firework.
Dozens of
other people were seriously injured in the annual firework frenzy and 21 people
were treated at Rotterdam’s specialist eye hospital – many of whom were
bystanders.
The
Amsterdam, Utrecht and Rotterdam mayors, and national police chief Janny Knol
have all renewed calls for a national ban on fireworks.
Consumer
fireworks are banned in 19 cities, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht,
but the ban was widely ignored, and sales went ahead as usual.
“There is a
ban in a number of areas but you can still buy them and they are still set
off,” Knol said. “A ban would be a good first step.” Prime minister Dick Schoof
has already made it clear the government has no plans to introduce legislation
to stop the sale of fireworks to the general public.
Over 200
people were arrested during the evening and riot police were drafted in to
restore order in several places, both cities and in rural areas.
The fire
brigade also reports more call-outs than in previous years. “New Year is seen
by some as a licence for anarchy and violence, but this is not what you sign up
for as an emergency service worker,” said national fire chief Tijs van Lieshout
van Brandweer Nederland.
Justice
minister David van Weel described the targeting of emergency service workers as
“extremely sad”.
“This
behaviour should never be seen as normal and we are going to do all we can to
arrest those responsible,” he said on social media.
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