SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – Plastic surgeons are calling for a ban on consumer fireworks and a crackdown on illegal fireworks as more teens suffered life-changing injuries.

Some 90% of firework injuries this year were due to illegal fireworks and half of those needing plastic surgery were 18 or under, the association of plastic surgeons NVPC said.

“Surgeons have had to amputate five hands, 18 fingers and six thumbs,” plastic surgeon Annekatrien van de Kar said. “Injuries to the hands are often combined with burns, facial injuries and broken bones. These explosives have disastrous results and the fact that children still have access to them is incomprehensible,” she said.

Plastic surgeons treated some 62 people after this year’s New Year festivities, compared to 54 last year. In 75% the victims lit the fireworks themselves while 13% were bystanders. Most victims were treated on New Year’s Eve but 16% got hurt before December 30.

The injuries are permanent and life-changing, particularly for young victims, Van de Kar said. “We not only need a ban but greater awareness of the dangers of illegal fireworks,” she said.

Amsterdam and Rotterdam mayors, and national police chief Janny Knol have all called for a national ban on fireworks following a number of serious incidents during the New Year festivities, including two deaths.

Consumer fireworks are banned in 19 cities, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht, but the ban was widely ignored, and firework sales went ahead as usual.

“There is a firework ban in a number of councils but you can still buy them and they are still set off,” Knol said. “A ban would be a good first step.”

“A local ban has no chance of success as long as the government does nothing to stop the sale [of fireworks], and is giving consumers the wrong signal,” Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema said. Rotterdam mayor Carola Schouten and Utrecht’s Sharon Dijksma made similar appeals.

A survey by Ipsos last month revealed that 57% of the population would vote in favour of a ban in a referendum. Some 60% of people taking part in the RTL panel said they backed a ban, as did 64% of people taking part in the EenVandaag survey.

However there is no majority support for a ban in parliament and prime minister Dick Schoof told the AD on Tuesday the coalition has no plans to bring in legislation to introduce such a measure.

(DutchNews)

SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – A 46-year-old man who was badly injured in an accident involving fireworks on New Year’s Eve has died in hospital, Tiel town council has confirmed to local broadcaster Omroep Gelderland.

The man, who came from Buren, is the second person to die from a firework injury during the New Year festivities. A 14-year-old boy from Rotterdam died on December 31 while trying to light an extremely powerful and illegal firework.

Dozens of other people were seriously injured in the annual firework frenzy and 27 people were treated at Rotterdam’s specialist eye hospital – many of whom were bystanders.

The Amsterdam, Utrecht and Rotterdam mayors, and national police chief Janny Knol have all renewed calls for a national ban on fireworks.

Consumer fireworks are banned in 19 cities, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht, but the ban was widely ignored, and sales went ahead as usual.

“There is a ban in a number of areas but you can still buy them and they are still set off,” Knol said. “A ban would be a good first step.” Prime minister Dick Schoof has already made it clear the government has no plans to introduce legislation to stop the sale of fireworks to the general public.

Over 200 people were arrested during the evening and riot police were drafted in to restore order in several places, both cities and in rural areas.

The fire brigade also reports more call-outs than in previous years. “New Year is seen by some as a licence for anarchy and violence, but this is not what you sign up for as an emergency service worker,” said national fire chief Tijs van Lieshout van Brandweer Nederland.

In total, 270 cars were destroyed by fire, the highest figure since 2019.

Justice minister David van Weel described the targeting of emergency service workers as “extremely sad”.

“This behaviour should never be seen as normal and we are going to do all we can to arrest those responsible,” he said on social media.

(DutchNews)

SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – An 81-year-old man has been shot in IJsselmonde in the third such incident in the Rotterdam district in 12 days.

Passers-by found the severely wounded man early on Thursday morning and alerted emergency services, local broadcaster Rijnmond reported.

It is the third shooting in the district in little over a week and police are not ruling out that the perpetrator is choosing his victims at random, although other scenarios remain open.

On December 21 a man was shot and killed at Reyerdijk in the district and a week later a 58-year-old man was found on a cycle path on Roelantpad. He also died from his injuries.

None of the incidents seemed to be gang-related as none of the victims had criminal links, police said.

Police have released footage of a man they want to interview in connection with the shooting of the 58-year-old.

An investigation will have to show if the incidents are related, police said.

(DutchNews)

SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – Amsterdam and Rotterdam mayors, and national police chief Janny Knol have all called for a national ban on fireworks following a number of serious incidents during the New Year festivities in the Netherlands, including the death of a 14-year-old youth.

Consumer fireworks are banned in 19 cities, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht, but the ban was widely ignored, and firework sales went ahead as usual.

“There is a firework ban in a number of councils but you can still buy them and they are still set off,” Knol said. “A ban would be a good first step.”

Amsterdam’s mayor Femke Halsema called for a national ban on fireworks after a “large number” of incidents in the capital.

“A local ban has no chance of success as long as the government does nothing to stop the sale [of fireworks], and is giving consumers the wrong signal,” she said. Rotterdam mayor Carola Schouten and Utrecht’s Sharon Dijksma made similar appeals.

Eye specialists have been calling for a national ban for years and repeated that again this year, after treating dozens of people for eye injuries.

A survey by Ipsos last month revealed that 57% of the population would vote in favour of a ban in a referendum. Some 60% of people taking part in the RTL panel said they backed a ban, as did 64% of people taking part in the EenVandaag survey.

However there is no majority support for a ban in parliament and prime minister Dick Schoof told the AD on Tuesday the coalition has no plans to bring in legislation to introduce such a measure.

The Dutch spent an estimated €118 million on fireworks this year.

(DutchNews)