Fireworks have killed three people and injured scores others in Europe despite bans being in place against their use.
File photo. Photo: 123rf
In the Netherlands, a 12-year-old boy was killed and another seriously injured watching an adult set off a home-made device, local media reported.
Dutch police have arrested a man.
In Germany, a 37-year-old man was killed in a fireworks explosion on New Year's Eve in the western town of Hennef. Police are investigating.
There were several people injured in incidents around Germany, German news agency DPA reported,
At least 80 people were hurt by fireworks in the Netherlands, according to De Telegraaf, including people losing feet and hands in explosions.
Both the Netherlands and Germany banned the sale of fireworks over the New Year period because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dutch officials justified the move by saying firework-related injuries would put too much strain on hospitals fighting the virus.
Despite this, enthusiasts in both countries have not been deterred, with people crossing borders to buy up festive pyrotechnics or in some cases making them themselves.
In Austria there were also several incidents, including one in which a 23-year-old man was killed returning to a firework that did not detonate.
- BBC