A 12-year-old boy was killed and another seriously injured in a fireworks accident in the Netherlands. The children were watching an adult set off fireworks using a homemade device when the incident happened in Haaksbergen in the east of the country near the German border.
According to the police, “the children had nothing to do with the incident”. The seriously injured boy was taken to hospital.
Police say they arrested a man and opened an investigation.
Fires prohibited for the New Year
On the New Year’s Eve, the Dutch traditionally shoot fireworks in the streets and gardens, a popular practice that injures many people. The government has banned fireworks for the second year in a row to avoid overloading hospitals overwhelmed by the Covid-19 epidemic.
In 2019, more than 1,300 people received treatment for injuries from fireworks. After the fireworks ban in 2020, that number fell by 70%.