(ANSA) - One person was killed and 583 injured, 28 seriously, in Italy's traditional New Year's fireworks explosions, police said.
A 22-year-old youth was killed in Seminara, near Reggio Calabria, when a rudimentary device he was constructing exploded.
This was the first New Year's fireworks fatality since 2002.
Campania was once again the region with the highest number of reported fireworks incidents.
In Naples, a paper bomb was responsible for the collapse of an apartment wall and a flight of stairs. The powerful explosion also damaged three reinforced doors but no one was injured in the blast. The province of Naples alone counted 61 injuries, including eight minors, and a 12-year-old was hit in the leg by a stray bullet while standing on the balcony of his home in the suburb of Afragola.
There were 60 injuries in the southeast region of Puglia, compared to only four in Marche.
In Rome, 29 people needed medical treatment for injuries from fireworks, while in the Tuscan city of Grossetto a youth lost his right hand.
Injuries were higher this year despite an intensive information campaign by law enforcement agencies against illegal fireworks.
The number of New Year's arrests for fireworks was also higher than last year, 47 compared to 33. Police seized over 600 tonnes of illegal fireworks before New Year's, twice as much as last year.
