Firework debris injures Japanese girl at Taichung New Year's Eve event

Taichung, Jan. 1 (CNA) A six-year-old Japanese girl was reportedly injured at a New Year's Eve fireworks display in Taichung City, with footage showing debris landing in the crowd.

The young girl was taken to China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) after receiving on-site treatment from emergency responders.

After arriving at the emergency department around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, she was treated by an ophthalmologist for a small area of first-degree burn below her eyelid. She was then discharged, with follow-up consultations scheduled at an outpatient clinic, according to CMUH.

Taichung City Councilor Huang Shou-da (黃守達) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) criticized the Kuomintang (KMT)-led city government for its failure to ensure safety at the event.

Huang said that fireworks displays have been held at the Taichung Central Park multiple times over the years and the city government should have "ample experience" in handling such events.

The DPP councilor accused the city government of "incompetence" and questioned whether the incident was due to poor planning of the firework debris landing zone or inadequate on-site management.

Hosted by the city government at the park, the New Year's celebration was expected to draw a crowd of around 200,000 people on Tuesday evening.

At 9:45 p.m., however, the city government issued mobile phone alerts, stating that the central stadium had reached full capacity, and entrance controls were implemented to prevent stampedes.

On Wednesday, the Fire Bureau of Taichung City government reported that the incident was likely caused by a loose mounting bracket used to stabilize a fireworks launch tube.

This issue caused one or two firework shells to launch at an incorrect angle, resulting in insufficient safety distance between the falling fireworks debris and the crowd, the fire bureau said.

The fireworks manufacturer for the display, subcontracted by the Sanlih E-Television Co., Ltd, will be fined NT$100,000 (US$3,052) for violating the Fireworks Management Act, according to the bureau.