A new firecracker, called the "Super Yolanda", claimed its first victim Friday morning, blowing a boy's right hand in the province of Ilo-ilo, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
The incident is one of the 140 people injured due to firecrackers-related incidents, 134 of which sustained wounds from firecrackers, 5 hit by stray bullets, and one who accidentally swallowed a firecracker, DOH Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag said in his official Twitter account,
Tayag said this figure is slightly lower compared to the 146 injuries reported in the same period last year.
He said of the 134 firecracker injuries, 82 were due to the banned firecracker Piccolo.
Tayag said in Iloilo, a five-year-old boy lost his right hand index finger after using a "camara" or small dynamite.
A 14-year-old boy in Cebu City, meanwhile, had his right hand amputated after using illegal firecracker "Super Yolanda."
Last year, the DOH recorded a total of 931 firecracker-related injuries: 904 were due to fireworks, 25 from stray bullet and 2 from firecracker ingestion.
Most injuries were caused by piccolo (236), followed by unknown firecrackers (143), kwitis (128), five star (55) and pla-pla (42).
The firecracker was named after typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the strongest typhoon in history which struck the Visayas region in the Philippines in November leaving more than 6,000 dead and almost 2,000 missing.--Source: DOH/ABS-CBN News