Two deaths, 18 eye injuries, and an injured toddler: how the Netherlands brought in the New Year

Victims, everywhere 👀

With a stockpile of fireworks waiting to be lit, New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands is never a calm affair — and the end of 2023 was no different.

While the entire country went BOOM, in a tale as old as time, hospitals and emergency services were kept busy.

This year, the Netherlands has seen not one but two deaths caused by fireworks.

A 19-year-old man lost his life after an incident involving fireworks in Haarlem last night. This follows the death of a 26-year-old on Saturday after a firework exploded while being lit.

In Uden, a 17-year-old has been left seriously injured after a firework exploded in his face.

Eye injuries

He wasn’t the only one to take a firework to the face. Hospitals have also been reporting their usual New Year’s Eve cases: eye injuries.

As of 7 AM this morning, the Eye Hospital in Rotterdam has admitted a whopping 18 victims, two of whom are under the age of 12.

The culprit? You guessed it, fireworks.

One opthalmologist described it as an “old-fashioned horror night”, comparing it to surgery in the trenches.

Toddler seriously injured

A two-year-old toddler has been left seriously injured following a fire on a balcony in Den Bosch. However, it is not yet clear if fireworks are to blame.

The fire occurred shortly after 12:30 AM.

Police pelted with fireworks

Police across the country spent part of their night dodging fireworks — and not due to any unfortunate misplacement.

Officers in Amsterdam, The Hague, and Delft had fireworks thrown at them, and in Hedel, Gelderland, the firework fever was taken to a whole new level — even a fire brigade was targeted.

As a result of residents losing their minds (perhaps it was all the sparkles??), the municipality declared an emergency order.

One death due to shooting

However, fireworks weren’t the only problem last night. In Capelle aan den IJssel, someone was shot dead during an argument at a party.

Police have not arrested anyone as of yet.

What was your experience with New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands? Share it in the comments below!

Feature Image:Shutterstock
Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
Before becoming the Senior Editor of DutchReview, Sarah was a fresh-faced international looking to learn more about the Netherlands. Since moving here in 2017, Sarah has added a BA in English and Philosophy (Hons.), an MA in Literature (Hons.), and over three years of writing experience at DutchReview to her skillset. When Sarah isn't acting as a safety threat to herself and others (cycling), you can find her trying to sound witty while writing about some of the stickier topics such as mortgages and Dutch law.

1 COMMENT

  1. I seriously think they should do something about this celebration with fireworks. My kids now hates Mew Year and fireworks because they can’t sleep and kept hearing of the horror stories the day after. I think it is out of control. There has to be some kind of regulations regarding this matter. Little children are being hurt. People are dead. This is no fun anymore.

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