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Netherlands New Year’s Eve Marked by Record 112 Load, Attacks on Responders and Fatal Incidents

Officials cite unprecedented strain on emergency services to justify a national fireworks sales ban taking effect next year.

Overview

  • Emergency services logged at least 1,207 deployments nationally and sent an NL‑Alert urging calls to 112 only for life‑threatening situations.
  • The RotterdamRijnmond region reported nearly 1,700 fire and ambulance calls—about seven per minute—with firefighters repeatedly pelted with heavy fireworks and forced to withdraw under ME protection.
  • Police confirmed fatal fireworks incidents in Nijmegen involving a minor and in Aalsmeer involving a 38‑year‑old man, and a young child died in a traffic collision in Bergen op Zoom.
  • Major fires broke out across several cities, including the near‑destruction of Amsterdam’s Vondelkerk and a large industrial blaze in Hillegom, with causes under investigation and nearby residents temporarily evacuated in some cases.
  • Law enforcement made large‑scale interventions, including about 80 arrests in Utrecht after what police called extreme violence, while cleanup and investigations proceed, including asbestos containment work in Bedum.