BEIJING, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Casualties of fireworks totaled 663 including
one death in Beijing in the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations, according to
the municipal health authorities.
Improper use of fireworks was blamed for 420 cases, or 63 percent of the
total, 13.51 percent higher than last year, from Feb. 17 to 24 or the New Year's
Eve to the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, the Beijing Municipal Health
Bureau said
Substandard fireworks wounded 120 others, a 0.87 percent year-on-year
increase, it said.
A 25-year-old man died of head injuries on the New Year's Eve and another
man, 21, had his eyeball removed, according to Beijing Fireworks Administration
Office.
More than 510,000 boxes of firecrackers went on sale in over 2,000 outlets
in Beijing ahead of the celebrations which began on February 17.
The city reported 654 casualties of fireworks during the same period last
year.
This was the second year since Beijing lifted a 12-year ban on fireworks,
which are traditionally believed to scare away demons and bring good fortune.
The Beijing authorities banned firecrackers in 1994 due to safety and
environmental concerns, but lifted the ban in 2006 after authorities said the
industry had cleaned up its act.
The new regulations allow Beijing residents inside the fifth ring road to
let off fireworks all day on February 17 and 18 – New Year's Eve and New Year's
Day - and from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. everyday from February 19 to March 4.
