Unforeseeable consequences of homemade fireworks during Tet

A series of accidents caused by homemade fireworks exploding

As Tet approaches, the story of firecrackers heats up every day, along with heartbreaking incidents caused by firecrackers. Recently, hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City have received many teenagers with severe burns, having to amputate their hands, losing their testicles... due to homemade firecrackers exploding.

Most recently, patient LBK (12 years old, in Binh Duong) had an accident while making his own firecrackers following instructions on the internet. After the explosion, the child's left hand was crushed and bleeding profusely. The patient was taken to a local hospital for emergency treatment and then transferred to Cho Ray Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City.

Upon admission, the patient was in traumatic shock; his left hand was crushed; and the wounds were all over his body. The child suffered corneal burns, corneal lacerations in both eyes, and burns to 40% of his body. At Cho Ray Hospital, the patient was treated for shock, his left hand was amputated, his cornea was sutured, and his wounds were treated before being transferred to Children's Hospital 1 for treatment.

A patient is treated at Cho Ray Hospital after an accident caused by a homemade firecracker explosion. Photo: BVCC

Similarly, the Ho Chi Minh City Orthopedic and Trauma Hospital admitted a 15-year-old boy with a crushed right hand, severely injured fingers on his left hand, and abrasions on his face and many parts of his body a few days ago. Doctors tried to treat him but could not save his right hand, only stitching the wound and splinting the fingers on his left hand.

The patient is a 9th grade student who went with a group of friends to the canal bank in Thuan An City to test homemade fireworks after their semester exams. The group learned how to make fireworks online and then bought materials to make them. While testing, the fireworks exploded.

Previously, a group of 3 students suffered multiple injuries and severe burns due to an explosion while making their own explosives following online instructions, and had to be transferred from Tay Ninh to Cho Ray Hospital. Among them, the 17-year-old boy suffered the most severe injuries, with 50% of his body burned, his right testicle crushed, and multiple injuries. Due to the severity of the condition, doctors had to remove the patient's testicles and clean out all foreign objects and pieces of explosive firecrackers embedded in many places on his body.

Dr. Tran Van Khoa - Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Cho Ray Hospital said that recently, the unit also received 4 cases of serious multiple injuries related to homemade firecrackers, from 12 to 16 years old. All 4 had to have their left hands amputated. Children's Hospital 2 also recorded many similar cases. Previously, accidents caused by firecrackers were mainly concentrated during Tet holidays, but now they are scattered throughout the year.

At the Trauma, Orthopedics and Burns Center, Khanh Hoa General Hospital, a 10-year-old boy named BGN from Cam Nghia Ward, Cam Ranh City (Khanh Hoa) was treated for a firecracker accident after he bought explosives online and made his own firecrackers at home. The boy was diagnosed with a complex injury to his left hand, with the loss of bones in 3 fingers, a sprain and fracture of his hand, burns to his eyelids and conjunctiva.

Prevent risks, avoid unfortunate consequences

Notably, the police of Krong Ana district, Dak Lak province, recently discovered 25 students ordering chemicals on social media to make firecrackers. Upon inspection, the police seized nearly 5 kg of chemicals, 42 finished firecrackers, 150 paper tubes that had not been filled with firecrackers, and many tools used to make firecrackers. According to the students, out of curiosity and wanting to have firecrackers to burn during Tet, they pooled money together and went on social media Tiktok to order chemicals.

Meanwhile, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital recently received three cases of accidents caused by using homemade fireworks. The victims, all between the ages of 12 and 14, were admitted with crushed hands, some of which were seriously injured.

Medical staff of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital take care of an accident case caused by using homemade fireworks.

Specifically, patients NK (13 years old) and NTA (14 years old) are cousins, residing in Vinh Phuc, hospitalized with wounds on both hands soaked with blood.

Due to the severe crushing injuries, it was impossible to preserve the first finger of both hands of the child patient, so the doctor performed surgery to amputate the first finger of both hands, trying to preserve the remaining fingers.

The remaining case is a 12-year-old patient, residing in Hung Yen, who was hospitalized with a fracture of the first metacarpal bone of the left hand and a wound on the left leg, which was debrided and treated with skin... The cause was determined to be that the children learned how to make fireworks from instructions on social networks.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Manh Khanh - Deputy Director of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital said that doctors encountered many children admitted to the hospital with multiple injuries, including crushed arms, crushed thighs, loss of penis, gunshot wounds, abdominal wall injuries, ruptured or perforated small intestines, etc.

Chest trauma can cause rib fractures, then hemothorax, pneumothorax. Or there are children with multiple facial injuries, jaw fractures or even eye damage, leaving serious sequelae for the patient.

The consequences of firecrackers are very serious, especially when the patients are very young. According to experts, the main ingredients to make a firecracker are matches and gunpowder. Just a strong collision or friction during the process of mixing chemicals can immediately cause an explosion leading to serious consequences.

Health experts recommend that families need to raise their vigilance, propagate and mobilize relatives and children to strictly comply with regulations on firecracker management, not arbitrarily manufacture or use firecrackers (firecrackers) to prevent risks and unfortunate consequences from firecrackers.