New Year in Germany: riots, plumbing accident and fireworks tragedies

Fireworks kill five people in Germany

New Year's Eve in Germany, which is usually supposed to be full of festive cheer and colorful fireworks, turned into a night of tragedy, violence, and a serious plumbing accident this year. These incidents had serious consequences in various cities, including the deaths of as many as five people, hundreds of arrests and numerous injuries.

In Germany, fireworks are only allowed by law during limited hours on New Year's Eve and on the night of 1 January. Despite this, incidents related to the misuse of pyrotechnics are recorded every year. This year, the consequences were particularly tragic^[1].

Near the town of Geseke in North Rhine-Westphalia, a 24-year-old man was killed after a homemade firework exploded prematurely. A similar accident occurred in Hamburg, where an illegally made firecracker explosion also killed a 20-year-old.

The other two victims, men aged 45 and 50, died of injuries sustained while holding the exploding fireworks.

These tragedies once again highlight the dangers of misusing pyrotechnics. Such accidents are also particularly frequent because people decide to use homemade fireworks or buy them from unreliable sources.

On New Year's Eve, German police and firefighters' unions called for a nationwide ban on the use of private fireworks. They argue that such bans could reduce injuries and violence against officers.

Hundreds arrested and injured after Berlin riots

And in Berlin, the festive night turned into chaotic clashes between youth groups and law enforcement officers.

According to the city police, 400 arrests were made overnight for clashes and attacks on police officers. In addition, 30 police officers and one firefighter were injured during the unrest.

The tense situation in the German capital led to the deployment of additional police support from other parts of Germany to contain the riots as quickly as possible and to prevent further outbreaks of violence.

The riots were not confined to Berlin - in Leipzig, police officers reported large groups of people throwing fireworks and bottles at officers. In Hamburg, nine policemen and one firefighter were injured overnight. Such incidents raise serious concerns about public safety on New Year's Eve, as similar incidents have occurred before.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser strongly condemned the riots, calling them unacceptable violence. She promised that all perpetrators would be prosecuted "with the utmost severity".

Tamara Zieschang, Minister of the Interior of Saxony-Anhalt, also stressed that attacks on emergency services are dangerous for the officers and those they are trying to help^[2].

These statements show that the German authorities are determined to tackle cases of violence, especially when it comes to attacks on key institutions. In addition, there has been some discussion in the public sphere about the possible introduction of stricter rules on the use of fireworks, as they have repeatedly been the cause of fatal accidents or have been used as weapons against police officers.

Exploding pipes flooded Berlin streets

In addition to outbreaks of violence and fireworks disasters, Berliners faced another challenge on New Year's Eve - a burst water pipe. The incident took place in the Wedding district near Seestrasse.

The burst pipe caused severe flooding. The flooded streets caused serious inconvenience and damage to local residents and disrupted traffic movements. In addition, the accident left parts of the city without water and other areas with low water pressure.

The districts of Wedding, Moabit, Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf, Schöneberg, Kreuzberg, Prenzlauer Berg, Frohnau, and Mitte were the most severely affected by the accident. Technicians from the Berlin Waterworks worked through the night to restore the water supply. Despite the intensive work, the problems continued on 1 January, and for some districts, the water supply had not yet been restored at all.