5 killed by fireworks in New Year celebrations across Europe
Five people were killed and dozens injured in separate fireworks accidents across Europe as people celebrated the New Year, authorities have said.
Danish police said three people were killed in two fireworks accidents in the north of the country. Two others were injured.
Police said they believe the incidents happened during the firing of powerful fireworks through tube launchers. It was not clear if the accidents, both in the Mariager Fjord Municipality, were connected. WORDS: PA
German police said a 19-year-old man was killed in Striegistal in the eastern state of Saxony when he tried to ignite unauthorised firecrackers. Another man was severely injured in the accident.
Supermarkets in Germany sell authorised fireworks for New Year celebrations which are supposed to conform to certain safety standards, but illegally sold fireworks do not match these standards and often lead to accidents.
Another man was killed in Alveslohe in northern Germany. The 18-year-old was hit on the head by a firecracker.
A nine-year-old boy in Alsfeld in Hesse suffered a neck injury when a man tried to fire an illumination rocket with a gun, while a 23-year-old man in Gardelegen in Saxony-Anhalt lost four fingers when a firecracker exploded in his hands.
In Stuttgart in south-western Germany, 39 people were injured when the underground garage of their building caught fire. All 92 residents had to be evacuated, nine were taken to hospital suffering from smoke poisoning and 30 others were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.
Stuttgart police said they were still investigating the cause of the blaze and it was not clear if it was caused by fireworks.
In Berlin, some 100 youths targeted police with fireworks in such force that officers had to retreat for some time before they received back-up and managed to rein in the crowd.
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