Five killed in New Year accidents across Germany, hundreds arrested

Five people were killed in accidents, many others were severely injured and hundreds were arrested throughout Germany as the nation celebrated the turn of the year.

The celebrations were described as largely peaceful, though severe damage was also caused by fireworks containing spherical shells.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, a 24-year-old died when a firecracker exploded, while two men were fatally injured in accidents in Saxony.

A 45-year-old man died in Oschatz, east of Leipzig, while a 50-year-old man was fatally injured in Hartha near Chemnitz. Both men were handling fireworks when they exploded.

In Hamburg, a 20-year-old died when a homemade firecracker exploded, while a 21-year-old was fatally injured in the north of Brandenburg.

In Berlin alone, the police arrested at least 390 people for a series of offences, and 15 officers and a member of the fire brigade were injured, interior senator Iris Spranger told dpa.

“I condemn these acts in the strongest terms and expect them to be consistently addressed and prosecuted,” she said.

There were also attacks on police officers in Leipzig, as people set rubbish on fire and built barricades. Some 50 people threw fireworks and bottles at officers.

The offences mainly involved dangerous bodily harm, breach of the peace, and violations of the Explosives Act, police said.

In Cologne, two officers were injured by firecrackers, local police said. There were similar incidents reported in Hamburg.

In Munich, several hundred people rioted and also attacked officers, with a police spokeswoman saying these involved some 200 to 300 people from leftist groups.

Kiel police said they were attacked by a larger group of people when officers attempted to protect a paramedic. Patrol cars arrived before the paramedic and were approached by about 70 to 80 individuals.

Meanwhile in Bonn, teenagers at the train station aimed a rocket at a homeless man who was asleep, police said. He was in shock, while the suspects reportedly filmed the attack with a mobile phone.

Despite the hundreds of arrests in the capital, Berlin police said on Wednesday the night had been a success.

Most of the arrests related to violations of laws related to fireworks’ use or weapons, a police spokesperson said.

Fireworks are banned in certain streets and it is only permitted to set off fireworks in Berlin on New Year’s Eve from 6 pm (1700 GMT) until New Year’s morning at 7 am. Violations risk a fine of up to €10,000 ($10,401).

Fifteen police officers were injured during the night, one of whom had to undergo surgery after presumably being hit by an illegal firework, police said.

More than 3,000 additional police officers were deployed in addition to the 1,000 or so police officers in patrol cars and otherwise deployed on the streets.

There had been no major violence and it had paid off that police had protected firefighters during operations, said another police spokesman in a video published on X.