Revellers injured after German fireworks show goes wrong
Emergency services and fire crews were deployed to the Rheinkirmes event along the Rhine river, where images showed fireworks exploding dangerously close to the ground.
The DPA news agency reported that a child was among the injured.
Düsseldorf fire services confirmed police are investigating why the fireworks display went wrong.
"Our thoughts are with those affected and their families. We wish all those affected a speedy recovery from the consequences of the accident. We deeply regret the accident," said Peter Dietlmaier, a spokesman.
He added organisers ended the fair early for the day, and were deciding whether to continue the traditional fireworks at next year's event.
Eyewitnesses told German public broadcaster WDR that some rockets flew sideways or detonated low, with a few even landing in the Rhine River. Video shared on social media shows explosions lighting up both the sky and ground at the same time.
"I was at the fair watching the fireworks," said one witness. "Some rockets flew surprisingly low and exploded close to people. I wondered if that wasn't too near the crowd."
The 10-day Rheinkirmes fair features amusement rides, drone and fireworks shows, and other entertainment, staffed by hundreds along the Rhine's left bank, opposite the city's historic district.
The fair is organised by the St. Sebastianus Rifle Club, which traces its history to the year 1316.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
8 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Two children and two adults remain in hospital after school bus crash that killed a boy, 10, when 70-seater overturned and slid down 20ft slope
Two children and two adults are still in hospital after the horrific school bus crash that killed a 10-year-old boy. A 70-seater a coach carrying Minehead Middle School pupils on Thursday crashed off the road, flipped onto its roof and slid 20ft down a steep bank. A total of 21 people were injured in the crash as it drove year 5 pupils back from an end of term trip to the zoo. Four children and three adults remain were in hospital - the two remaining youngsters were taken to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children by air ambulance following the accident. A police spokesperson said the investigation into the crash was ongoing. One boy, Jayden, who was on the bus and suffered a suspected broken collarbone in the crash, visited Minehead Middle School to lay flowers at the scene earlier today with his mother Kim. He said: 'I just remember climbing up the hill to get back on the road and that's it. On his injuries, Jayden said: 'I'm alright, it just hurts.' A 70-seater a coach carrying Minehead Middle School pupils on Thursday crashed off the road, flipped onto its roof and slid 20ft down a steep bank. Pictured: People lay floral tributes at the scene She told the BBC she has had to break the news of the child's death to Jayden, adding: 'He's lost a friend.' Emergency services, including five helicopters, rushed to the scene on the A396 in Somerset to free passengers who had become trapped inside the bus. An off-duty firefighter travelling behind the coach was able to save the lives of children by immediately starting to free them minutes after the collision. But he has said he 'couldn't sleep' because of the scenes he witnessed. Alan Jones, 64, ferried passengers to safety by driving them to a safe hub on his quad bike. Mr Jones, who now works as a trainer and lives at East Harwood Farm, said he took a total of eight adults and children to the Rest and Be Thankful Inn in Wheddon Cross. 'They're just so innocent and it wasn't their fault. It was a sorry sight,' he said. 'When you hear it's children from a middle school, I should think everybody dropped everything like I did, because it's just something about children - they're pretty helpless, really. 'I think it would have been wrong not to try and help. I was there in under 10 minutes. 'When I got there, the road was closed and the police were everywhere. Everybody was just looking at the bus. 'I didn't know there were any fatalities at the time, but I knew there were children still in the bus, and all of the police officers were just basically around the bus and there wasn't anybody else about, really; I was the only local person there.' Dozens of pupils, parents and local residents who laid flowers outside the front gates of the school - which closed on Friday following the tragedy. The school's head teacher, Laura Mackie, was among those laying flowers. 'I'm thinking of my staff team who are amazing, dedicated, and all of our wonderful students that have been affected and impacted by this awful, awful incident. 'It's just been horrific,' she told the BBC.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
1 killed and 2 missing after a group is swept over an Oregon waterfall
One person was killed and rescuers continued searching on Sunday for two others after a group of people were swept over an Oregon waterfall, authorities said. The group went over Dillon Falls on the Deschutes River about 10 miles from the city of Bend, Oregon, on Saturday afternoon, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office said. Three people were rescued from the river and taken by ambulance to a hospital in Bend. One person died at the scene, the sheriff's office said. Search efforts for the missing went into Saturday evening and resumed Sunday morning, said Sgt. Josh Barker with the sheriff's office. Further details — including the victims' identities and how the group got swept over the falls — were not immediately released. Dillon Falls, which is within Deschutes National Forest, features a large drop followed by a series of rapids that surge through a narrow gorge of lava rock.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
British woman dies after rafting incident in French Alps
A British woman has died on a white-water rafting excursion in the French woman fell from her raft shortly after noon local time (11:00 BST) on Saturday on the Guisane river in Briancon, in south-eastern France, the regional prosecutor Marion Lozac'hmeur told French news agency was later found on the riverbank before being airlifted to a nearby hospital in a serious condition, firefighters told local said the victim "unfortunately died yesterday evening".The Foreign Office confirmed a British woman had died in France, and said it was in touch with the local authorities. The woman had been part of an organised trip on the river and was traversing a section of the river known as "the wallet" when she fell, according to local news outlet Le has not been named, either in local media or by authorities in France or the "involuntary manslaughter" investigation had been opened and an autopsy will be conducted, Lozac'hmeur also said.
