2024–2025 German New Year's Eve pyrotechnics incidents
| 2024–2025 German New Year's Eve pyrotechnics incidents | |
|---|---|
| Location | Germany |
| Date | 31 December 2024 – 1 January 2025 |
| Weapons | Fireworks |
| Deaths | 5 |
| Injured | 100+ |
During the celebration of New Year's Eve and day between 2024 and 2025, several incidents involving the use of pyrotechnics occurred throughout Germany, resulting in the deaths of five people, the injury of several dozens, and culminating in the arrests of least 330. The celebrations had seen unusually intense mishandling of both legally purchased and illegally improvised pyrotechnic items and possibly due to a widespread tampering and distribution campaign of deliberately defective consumer pyrotechnics items. Some 15 law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency services were injured as due to being pelted with illegal fireworks in Cologne, Leipzig and Hamburg. Some 330 people were detained in the capital Berlin overnight, contrary to previous years, where there were no major violence or incidents.
Incidents
[edit]Accidental deaths
[edit]- On 31 December 2024, at approximately 22:40 in Geseke, in the northwest region of North Rhine-Westphalia, a 24-year-old man from Bad Wünnenberg died after detonating a pyrotechnic rocket. According to local police, who believe the victim had purchased the homemade firework through social media.[1][2][3]
- In Oschatz in Saxony, at around 22:15, a 45-year-old man died of serious head injuries when he set fire to a "pyrotechnic bomb". According to police, it was a powerful F4 category firework, which requires a special permit to purchase and also in Saxony, a 50-year-old man from Seifersdorf died on the spot from head injuries in the town of Hartha when he tried to detonate a pyrotechnic pipe bomb, a police spokesperson said.[4][5][6]
- In the quarter of Ochsenwerder in Hamburg, a 20-year-old man died lighting a pyrotechnic firework.[7]
- In Kremmen near Berlin, a 21-year-old man died from an "inappropriate manipulation" of pyrotechnics, according to local police. Three other people in the region were seriously injured in similar circumstances.[8][9][10][11]
Accidental injuries
[edit]Bavaria: In Munich, district Ramersdorf, a 14-year-old boy lost several fingers when a rocket exploded in his hand.[12]
Berlin: 42 people were check in for treatment for firework-related injuries at Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin. Another 49 cases were registered at Charité.[13]
Thuringia: In Kölleda, a firework exploded in the hand of a 15-year-old boy, requiring amputation. In Unterwellenborn, a 28-year-old man suffered severe burns to his face after a firework struck him in the head.[14]
Attack on emergency services
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2025) |
In Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Württemberg, three police officers were injured in a fireworks explosion while conducting an ID check. Two unidentified youths fled the scene. In Pforzheim, an active duty firetruck was shot at with firework rockets and stones, and although no one was injured, the damage to the vehicle is estimated to be several thousand euro.[15]
Large-scale fires
[edit] | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2025) |
In Munich, district Milbertshofen, a bottle rocket caused a fire in a second floor apartment. The entire flat was destroyed while three children, aged 2, 11, and 14, suffered burns and smoke inhalation.[12] A similar fire in Messestadt Riem spread to four apartments before being extinguished and resulted in 50,000 euro damage.[16]
In Sauerlach, Bavaria, a farm caught fire due to being struck by fireworks, burning down the barn and destroying large parts of the adjacent house. The damage is around 2 million euros.[17]
In Berlin, 36 flats were deemed uninhabitable due to firework damage.[13]
Later incidents
[edit]On 2 January, several instances of fireworks being used as weapons against emergency services were reported in Lower Saxony. In Hanover, police were attacked at the train station, leading to one arrest. In the quarter of Kronsberg, firefighters were shot at with bottle rockets and firecrackers. In the quarter of Mühlenberg, a policewoman was injured by a small firework explosion during an ID check. An underage youth was arrested. More incidents, including attacks on emergency services, attacks between citizens, and accidents, were reported in Garbsen, Tostedt, Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Wolfsburg and Oldenburg.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ Berbüsse, Ralph Meyer,Birger. "Tod an Silvester: Junger Mann aus dem Kreis Paderborn stirbt bei Böller-Explosion". Neue Westfälische (in German). Retrieved 2025-01-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Fünf Tote durch Unfälle mit Feuerwerk | Silvester-Newsblog". t-online (in German). 2024-12-30. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Illegaler Böller: 24-Jähriger aus Kreis Paderborn gestorben". www.radiohochstift.de (in German). 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Tödlicher Unfall mit Feuerwerkskörper". Taucha kompakt (in German). Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Zwei Männer sterben in Sachsen bei Böllerei | MDR.DE". www.mdr.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ Westphal, Sylvia; Jentzsch, Dirk (2025-01-02). "Hartha: Tragischer Tod durch illegale Pyrotechnik – 50-jähriger Familienvater stirbt an Silvester". www.saechsische.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ Zand-Vakili, André (2025-01-02). "Silvester Hamburg: Tod durch Böller – Freund versuchte verzweifelt Wiederbelebung". Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ https://www.maz-online.de/lokales/oberhavel/kremmen/kremmen-orion-steht-nach-tod-von-21-jaehrigem-durch-kugelbombe-unter-schock-kripo-ermittelt-NNT3WRXNVVH6XJQQLYWZXPGP2U.html Mann stirbt zu Silvester durch Kugelbombe: Die Menschen in Orion stehen unter Schock, Märkische Allgemeine
- ^ "Five dead in Germany from New Year's fireworks accidents". RNZ. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ^ "Germany: 4 killed, warehouse fire amid New Year's fireworks". Deutsche Welle. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ^ "Silvester-Drama: Mann stirbt nach Explosion von Kugelbombe". Berliner Zeitung (in German). 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ a b "Verstümmelt an Silvester in München: Böller reißt 14-Jährigem Teile der Hand ab". t-online - München (in German). 2025-01-02. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ a b "42 Silvester-Verletzte im Unfallkrankenhaus - Berliner Polizei meldet 400 Festnahmen". www.rbb24.de (in German). 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "90 Brände und 80 Körperverletzungen zu Silvester in Thüringen - Zwei Mal Hände amputiert | MDR.DE". www.mdr.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ tagesschau.de. "Baden-Württemberg: Bilanz der Silvesternacht in BW: Millionenschäden durch Brände". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Balkonbrand greift auf Wohnung über – Drei Kinder schwer verletzt: Bub sprengt sich Teile der Hand weg". www.merkur.de (in German). 2025-01-02. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Scheune brennt an Silvester unweit von München ab – Schaden in die Millionenhöhe". www.merkur.de (in German). 2025-01-02. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ NDR. "Silvester-Bilanz: Erneut Einsatzkräfte attackiert - mehrere Feuerwehrleute und Polizisten verletzt". www.ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-01-02.