Newsroom
A young boy in Paphos lost a finger on Wednesday after an illegal firecracker exploded in his hands, with police saying investigators were probing all aspects of the incident including how the banger came into the child’s possession.
Police said an 11-year-old child was injured Wednesday afternoon in Drousha village, Paphos district, when a firecracker exploded in his hands in an open space near a church.
According to police, the boy and his 8-year-old brother were walking outside a church when they got hold of a firecracker. Then in an open space nearby the older sibling reportedly used a lighter to light up the firecracker, which exploded immediately severing the boy’s left index finger and severely damaging the middle and ring fingers.
It was not known whether there were bystanders at the time of the incident or the firecracker had been left unsupervised before coming into the boy’s possession
The boy was rushed to the Emergency Room at Paphos General Hospital, where he was treated for blast injuries in both hands. He was then transported to a private clinic to undergo further treatment. His young brother was not harmed.
But full details of what had happened were not immediately clear.
Police said they were notified about the incident around 6:30pm after the boy was rushed to the ER. Officers reportedly secured the area of the blast overnight and investigators visited the site in the morning to gather evidence.
It was not known whether there were bystanders at the time of the incident or the firecracker had been left unsupervised before coming into the boy’s possession.
According to a statement attributed to the boys’ father, described as a Syrian national, his son appeared to have picked up the firecracker and used a lighter to light it.
But police told Knews the exact circumstances under which the firecracker came into the boy’s possession were still under investigation.
No specific crime was being suspected but negligence has not been ruled out.
