Fireworks injure 526 in Italy
2007-01-01 17:45
Rome - Italy's new-year firework celebrations injured 526 people, 29 of them seriously with injuries to the hands and the face, said the interior minister on Monday.
Police, who seized 90 tonnes of illegal pyrotechnic material and arrested 46 people, had banned potentially dangerous fireworks in the run-up to New Year's.
One such device, nicknamed 'Zidane's Headbutt' in reference to the former French international footballer's sending-off in the World Cup final, can weigh up to five kilogrammes.
Last year, one 22-year-old man was killed by a homemade firework in Italy, while 583 were injured.
- AFP