German officials have called for much tighter restrictions on Kugelbomben—homemade “firework bombs”—after the deaths of five people on New Year’s Eve.
In Berlin, 17 people were injured by the Kugelbomben, which are supposed to be restricted to professional firework displays but are often used by amateurs. Five people—including young children—suffered serious injuries to their eyes, hands and faces. Berlin’s fire department responded to 1,892 incidents, which was 294 more fireworks-related incidents than last year.
“The number of patients treated compared to previous years was average or a little below average,” said a spokesperson for the UKB hospital in Berlin. “But the severity of the injuries is unusual.”
Munich also saw its share of firework mayhem, as a stray rocket led to a fire that damaged an apartment building. Munich’s fire department says three children were hurt by fireworks during the night’s celebrations.
Most of the deaths around the country were of young men, killed while trying to ignite fireworks. In at least one case, in Saxony, the fatality was related to a Kugelbomben that had been tampered with to create a larger explosion. Authorities said these Kugelbomben had been sold illegally through social media channels, having been imported mainly from Poland or the Czech Republic.
Deaths and injuries aside, fireworks were also used during numerous attacks on emergency service personnel. In Berlin alone there were 13 separate incidents where emergency workers were targeted with rockets.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser praised the work of emergency workers while condemning the violence against them.
Deputy Chairwoman Christine Behle of Germany’s First Responders union issued a statement condemning the attacks on its members, saying, “It is unacceptable that people who work for the common good are repeatedly the target of attacks. Under no circumstances should violence against public service employees be accepted as an occupational hazard.”
Burkard Dregger, the interior affairs spokesperson for Berlin’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union, called for stricter measures to curb the spread of Kugelbomben.
“The import of banned fireworks – Kugelbomben – from eastern neighbouring countries has got to be stopped with even stricter border checks,” he told the local public broadcaster RBB, calling for talks with the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic.
Meanwhile, the opposition party The Greens called for a complete ban of private firework sales. “The question is why we as a society are prepared to have a night of setting off firecrackers with immeasurable collateral damage for people, animals and the environment,” said Vasili Franco, the party’s interior affairs spokesperson.
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