Overview

• A shell from Friday’s Rheinkirmes closing display detonated at ground level, wounding 19 spectators, including at least one child, and seriously injuring four people.
• Düsseldorf’s fire department and rescue teams deployed around 80 personnel to treat victims and transport them to nearby hospitals within an hour of the blast.
• Polizei Düsseldorf have seized launch tubes and are analyzing video evidence as part of a criminal probe into whether a tipped launch rack triggered the low-altitude explosion.
• The fireworks show was halted at 22:45, and organizers said they will assess next year’s traditional finale after investigators release their findings.
• The incident has renewed calls in Germany for tighter restrictions or bans on public fireworks following a nationwide rise in pyrotechnics-related injuries and fatalities.