The return of fireworks to traditional
Lunar New Year celebrations brought much joy to revelers, but
also sorrow to some parts of the nation.
In Beijing, where a 12-year ban on fireworks had just been
lifted, explosions injured 112 people, said the State
Administration of Work Safety, quoted by Wednesday's China
Daily.
Seventeen people suffered serious eye injuries, and another 26
were admitted to hospital with various types of wounds.
According to the Beijing News Daily, the city's
environmental protection bureau collected 458 tons of waste
fireworks on Jan. 29, the first day of the Lunar New Year.
In Chongqing Municipality, southwest China, firefighters
rushedto extinguish 191 fires caused by fireworks on the Lunar New
Year's Eve.
About 3,000 firefighters gave up the chance to spend the holiday
with their families to remain on duty.
Experts said the lifting of the ban would help preserve
traditional Chinese culture. But others said the return of
fireworks would lead to more serious pollution, fires, injuries and
deaths.
On Sunday, an explosion in Linzhou, a city in
Henan Province, central China, killed 36 people and injured 48
others.
The explosion occurred when firecrackers in a storehouse were
accidentally ignited, the State Administration of Work Safety said
in a statement.
Although there were disagreements, the governments in more than
100 Chinese cities lifted the ban on fireworks last year.
Beijing also lifted the ban after a survey found that 70 percent
of residents felt fireworks made the holiday period more
festive.
The new rules allow Beijing residents to explore fireworks all
day and all night on Jan. 28, and from 7 AM to midnight every day
from January 29 to February 12.
With the aim of ensuring safety, about 3,000 police and
community officers have been sent to patrol off-limits areas such
as schools, retirement homes and sites of historic
relics.?
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(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2006)