Sydney (dpa) – Two men died after accidents with fireworks while at least four others are seriously injured following New Year’s Eve celebrations across Australia, police and local media reported Sunday.
A 46-year-old man died after an illegal firework exploded in his hand on a beach in the state of Victoria, while a 52-year-old man died after a firework hit him in the head on a beach at Budgewoi, 120 kilometres north of Sydney, police reports said.
The sale of fireworks to the public in Australia has been banned in most states since the 1980s because of the number of injuries that occurred.
In the state of Queensland, a 19-year-old is in a critical condition after falling from a high rise apartment on the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane, police told the broadcaster ABC.
In Gladstone, 550 kilometres north of Brisbane, another man suffered spinal injuries after falling 8 metres onto train tracks shortly after midnight.
In Sydney, a 26-year-old man is in a critical condition after falling off the back of a car while it was driving through the city centre, while another was injured badly in a fight in the city’s west.
Another man aged in his late 20s died in Sydney after falling or jumping from the roof of a building in the inner city, ABC reported.
Despite the fatalities and injuries, Sydney police said they were pleased with the behavior of most revellers, adding that only 15 of the million people celebrating New Year around the city’s harbour were arrested.
