Second person killed in New Year’s fireworks accident; Buren man succumbs to injuries
An accident involving fireworks during the New Year’s period claimed the life of a 46-year-old man. He was the second person who died in a fireworks-related incident, with a 14-year-old Rotterdam boy also killed on Tuesday. Dozens more were hospitalized with injuries ranging from minor burns to severe traumas.
The 46-year-old from Buren was one of two people hurt at the Veldsalie in nearby Tiel. The incident happened at about 9 p.m., bringing paramedics and an air ambulance to the scene.
"It concerns a man from Buren who was there to celebrate New Year's Eve with family,” Tiel Mayor Frank van der Meijden told the Gelderlander. The explosion involved powerful fireworks, but the cause was still under investigation on New Year’s Day. It was not being treated as a criminal case.
Both victims were treated by paramedics at the scene. The Buren man was transported by helicopter to a specialist facility as his injuries were too severe for the local hospital, the Gelderlander reported. He died at the medical center on Wednesday afternoon.
“It is a very sad incident with a terrible outcome, which has severely affected the family and those involved,” the mayor said. He met with family members to express condolences.
Earlier on Tuesday, a teenage boy tried to light a powerful Cobra-6 firecracker on the Spanjaardstraat in Rotterdam. When it did not explode, he picked it up to try lighting it again.
It blew up immediately when he grabbed it, severely injuring him. He died from his wounds despite efforts to treat him closer to Watergeusstraat in the district of Delfshaven.
