Man's Head 'Torn Off' in NYE Firework Incident

A man in eastern France was killed when a New Year's Eve firework exploded after he went back to inspect it, reports the AP. The 25-year-old died instantly in the incident in Boofzheim, close to France's eastern border with Germany, the regional government said Friday. AFP reports his "head was torn off" in the incident and cites a local paper that reports after the lit firework did not explode, two men walked toward it to see what was going on. The second man was treated for facial injuries. The regional government had banned fireworks for New Year's Eve and a nighttime curfew was in place to dissuade people from gathering in public during the coronavirus pandemic.

In neighboring Germany, police said a 24-year-old man died after lighting a homemade firework in Rietz-Neuendorf, about 20 miles southeast of Berlin. Police said Friday that explosives experts found several more unused devices in the vicinity. Germany banned the sale of fireworks this year to deter gatherings and cut down on the large number of serious injuries that clog up hospitals every New Year’s Eve. The Guardian adds that another fatality occurred in Italy, where a 13-year-old boy died due to abdominal injuries caused by a firecracker.

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