DOH: Another man dies from firecracker injury as cases continue to rise

Metro Manila, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) recorded another death due to firecracker-related injuries in welcoming 2025 as cases already surpassed last year’s record.

The third death was a 54-year-old man in Calabarzon, who succumbed to a severe injury in his left hand due to an explosion of “kwitis” or skyrocket, the DOH said on Sunday, Jan. 5.

According to DOH monitoring, kwitis was the top cause of injury, followed by 5-star and the illegal improvised cannon called “boga.”

The agency also confirmed on Saturday the first death of a stray bullet during the 2025 New Year festivities.

In its latest report, the DOH added 36 more firecracker-related injuries from New Year’s Eve, 10 more from New Year’s Day, and 15 more from previous days.

As of 6 a.m. on Sunday, the total tally reached 832, which was 37.5% higher than the 606 recorded cases when the country welcomed 2024.

Around 59% or nearly 6 out of 10 victims were 19 years old and below. Most of the injured were male.

Meanwhile, the DOH said it logged 656 cases of road traffic incidents in its latest monitoring. The cases included seven fatalities.

Nearly a fifth of those involved in the accidents were found to have consumed alcohol.