Firecracker injuries climb to 163 ahead of New Year’s Eve

The number of people getting hurt due to fireworks has increased to 163, with 21 additional cases logged a day before New Year’s Eve celebrations, latest data by the Department of Health (DOH) showed.

DOH said that the 163 cases recorded from December 22 to 30, 2024 were 44% higher than the 113 cases during the same period last year.

Seventy-two percent (118 cases) of which were injuries caused by illegal firecrackers like boga, 5-star, and piccolo. A total of 106 cases were also found actively using the fireworks when the accident happened.

Of the victims, 135 were teens aged 19 and below. Majority were also male (148 cases), while only 15 were female.

The DOH on Saturday reported the first recorded firecracker casualty ahead of the New Year festivities—-a 78-year-old man from Central Luzon who died after a Judas belt firecracker he lit injured him on the eye and thigh.

The Philippine National Police (PNP), meanwhile, also recorded 15 cases of indiscriminate discharge of firearms ahead of the New Year, injuring four individuals and one other due to a stray bullet.

The PNP said that 10 individuals were arrested following the incidents—seven of them were civilians, one was a police officer, one was a security guard, and the other one was a personnel of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). —AOL, GMA Integrated News