MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health on Thursday reported 14 new cases of firecracker-related injuries, raising the total number of cases to 291 a few days after New Year celebrations.
The latest figure was 55% higher than 188 injuries recorded last year, but it was 8% lower than the five-year average of 316 cases.
Related Stories
According to the DOH, 79% of the cases were male. Seventeen percent of the cases were allegedly intoxicated at the time of the injury.
Only six percent of the cases had blast or burn injuries that resulted in amputation.
No deaths and incidents of firework ingestion were reported. The number of stray bullet injuries remained at one.
The top causes of injuries were kwitis (61), boga (33), 5-Star (23), unknown firecrackers (18), and fountain (17).
Almost half of the cases were recorded in Metro Manila (136), followed by Western Visayas (33), Ilocos region (29), and Central Luzon (24). — Gaea Katreena Cabico