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28 March 2024

28 hurt as fireworks explode at Spain's bell tower

Published
By AP

An official says 28 people were injured when a rogue firework accidentally set off thousands of others in a Spanish bell tower, raining streams of sparks and burning material on people gathered for a town festival below.

A spokeswoman for Elche town hall in eastern Spain said the fireworks were covered by a protective blanket and in a pack designed to shoot mini-rockets some 300 meters (328 yards) into the air before exploding. But the firework fired from elsewhere landed on the pack, igniting the fuses minutes before the scheduled midnight launch Monday.

She said three firework operators were hospitalized for serious burns while 25 people were treated for minor injuries.

She spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity in keeping with town hall rules.