Asia-Pacific News
Chinese New Year fireworks kill 1, injure 270 in Beijing
Feb 19, 2007, 5:27 GMT
Beijing - A record number of fireworks were exploded over the weekend in Beijing to celebrate the Chinese New Year, killing one person and injuring up to 270 others, reported Xinhua news agency Monday
Two of the injured men each lost an eye and fireworks were the cause of more than 270 fires that broke out on Saturday and Sunday in the capital.
Cheap fireworks which do not meet safety standards are responsible for the accidents, according to a government official.
This year more than 560 million illegal fireworks were seized, more than four times as many as last year.
Officially, 380,000 crates of fireworks were sold in Beijing, compared to 240,000 the previous year, the first year they were allowed since the city government imposed an unpopular ban on fireworks in 1993.
This is the Year of the Pig, the last of the 12 Chinese animal zodiac signs, and is considered particularly auspicious because it is linked with the element of fire, making it the Golden Year of the Pig.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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