Overview
- A loud detonation inside Oberschule Osternburg set off the fire alarm and prompted a large emergency response and precautionary evacuation of the building.
- Emergency crews treated multiple children for effects of the blast, with the fire department reporting one child taken to hospital and police saying 20 to 30 pupils suffered acoustic trauma and two were hospitalized for further care.
- Firefighters and medical teams carried out a systematic search of the school and found no other dangerous items or structural damage.
- Oldenburg police have opened an investigation on suspicion of bodily harm and are working to identify who threw the firecracker; investigators said a name has been mentioned but no suspect has been confirmed.
- The case follows a similar recent incident in Lower Saxony and raises renewed concerns about explosive firecrackers in schools, which can cause loud pressure shocks, smoke and hearing injuries and may prompt tightened safety measures or investigations in the region.