GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/01 January) — Health authorities in South Cotabato recorded 12 more firecracker-related injuries in connection with the New Year revelries, bringing the total cases in the province to 46.
Dr. Rogelio Aturdido, Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) chief, said Wednesday that they had recorded 34 firecracker-related injuries within the province’s 10 towns and lone city from December 21 to morning of December 31.
The 12 other victims brought to the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital in Koronadal City were injured from afternoon of December 31 to midnight and immediately after.
Most of the victims were minors who suffered various injuries from explosions caused by the banned “piccolo” firecracker, he said.
“Our monitoring is still ongoing and we’re still waiting for updated reports from other local hospitals and rural health units,” Aturdido said in a radio interview.
A report released by the IPHO showed that a total of 11 firecracker victims were brought to the provincial hospital from 11 p.m on Tuesday, December 31, to 7 a.m. on Wednesday, January 1.
Another victim was treated at a private hospital in Koronadal City.
Ten of the injury cases were caused by “piccolo” and mostly involved minors while another case involved an adult who sustained hand injuries from a “pla-pla” firecracker blast, the IPHO report said.
The report noted that the cases of injury were minor and the victims were immediately released after receiving treatment.
Dr. Conrado Brana, provincial hospital chief, said a total of 32 firecracker victims were treated at the facility since Christmas Eve
He said they are anticipating other cases within the next few days while residents continue celebrating the New Year.
Brana cautioned residents, especially the children, from gathering and lighting unexploded firecrackers as they might trigger huge explosions and cause major injuries.
In General Santos City, the City Health Office recorded only a single case of firecracker-related injury following the New Year’s Eve revelries
Dr. Edgardo Sandig, city health officer, said the victim involved an adult who was hit by a wayward “kwitis” firework.
The CHO recorded a total of five firecracker-related injuries during the holidays.
All five cases involved minors and two of them were caused by the banned firecracker piccolo.
(MindaNews)
