Firecracker injuries breaches 500 mark

A nine-year-old child is being treated for second-degree burn on the face and wounds on the hands at the Tondo Medical Center in Manila on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. According to the child’s mother, the youth was collecting powder from firecrackers on the ground when one of these went off. SANDRA AGUINALDO/GMA Integrated News

Over 500 people have been hurt due to firecrackers amid the New Year 2025 festivities, the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.

Latest data by DOH showed that 188 additional firecracker-related injuries were reported on December 31, New Year’s Eve. 

Three cases were also logged on the night of January 1, while three others from previous days were belatedly added in the tally.

Overall, the cases recorded from December 22, 2024 to January 2, 2025 have reached 534—slightly lower by 9.8% from the 592 cases during the same period last year. 

The DOH said that kwitis—a legal firework but is still dangerous—-has become the top cause of the injuries so far.

Earlier, the agency said that improvised cannons called “boga” were the leading cause of injuries.

Aside from kwitis and boga, other firecrackers that caused many injuries were 5-star and whistle bomb.

Most of the casualties were male (443 cases), and many of them were aged 19 and below (322 cases).—AOL, GMA Integrated News