At the turn of the year there were numerous attacks on emergency services in Germany. At least two people also died from pyrotechnics. There were hundreds of arrests in Berlin. policefire and rescue services were in large-scale operations across the country. The most important events at a glance:
In Bielefeld Two people were killed by fireworks. The two 18-year-olds ignited self-made pyrotechnics in different locations, said the police with. The men were fatally injured in the face.
In the community Reddelich near Rostock A 14-year-old lost his left hand when a firecracker exploded. The boy was taken to hospital on New Year’s Eve with serious injuries, a police spokesman said.
In Leipzig A 16-year-old girl was seriously injured in her hand while trying to light a firecracker that was not permitted in Germany.
Around 400 arrests in Berlin
In Berlin The police arrested around 400 people for abuse Fireworks temporarily fixed. Most of the cases involve violations of explosives regulations, the police said. Some people shot rockets horizontally through the area and threw firecrackers at others, a police spokesman said. 21 police officers were slightly injured, many of them from the trauma of firecrackers that exploded near their heads.
The Berlin police were on duty this New Year’s Eve with a large contingent of 4,300 officers, 3,300 more than on normal nights. According to Interior Senator Spranger, 1,600 firefighters were also working.
The fire and what was happening on the streets was particularly violent in Schöneberg, Kreuzberg, Neukölln and Wedding, the police said. People shot and threw fireworks and firecrackers at emergency services. In Spandau, people are said to have been injured by the explosion of a ball bomb.
Overall, the night turned out to be more positive and less problematic than in previous years. “We don’t have any serious injuries to colleagues or people partying. And we don’t have any serious incidents or damage to property like last year,” the police said in a preliminary report.
Police found new bullet bombs
The Berlin police had already tried to track down and confiscate illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnics in advance. By New Year’s Eve, 220,000 illegal, incorrectly stored or illegally sold fireworks were found, said Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD). A large part of it belongs to the F4 category, which can only be used by experts with training and approval and is very dangerous for amateurs. According to the police, kilos of illegal pyrotechnics were also confiscated that night.
During searches of cars and an apartment in the Berlin city area, the police said they also seized bullet bombs. Last year there were riots on New Year’s Eve
There have been serious incidents involving ball bombs.
Fire in an apartment building
There were also police and police in other parts of Germany Fire department on alert. The fire brigade had to be deployed due to fires in several federal states. According to police reports, a person was slightly injured in a fire in an apartment building in Marburg, Hesse, in the afternoon. Investigators suspect that fireworks may have started the fire.
There were incidents and fires in Leipzig on New Year’s Eve. There were fires not only in the Connewitz district, which is known for riots, but also in downtown Leipzig, reporters from the dpa news agency reported. Trash cans burned.
A large number of police and fire departments were also deployed in Hamburg. According to the Hamburg police, ten police officers were injured.
One dead in Rome from firecracker explosion
To a possible ban on firecrackers in Germany There are always discussions after there have been firecracker attacks on police officers and rescue workers in recent years. People are regularly injured or killed by pyrotechnics.
In the Netherlands, where a ban on firecrackers will apply from the New Year, the night has escalated with fireworks allowed. In many cities the police had to be deployed due to violence and accidents involving pyrotechnics. In the Italian capital Rome, despite a ban on firecrackers, a man died on New Year’s Eve when a firecracker exploded that he had apparently set off himself. In Rome there is a ban on fireworks and New Year’s Eve firecrackers from the last day of the year until January 7th.
