Two dead, hundreds arrested during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Germany

At least two people died and hundreds were arrested during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Germany, press reports said Thursday.

The fatalities occurred as two 18-year-olds lost their lives handling pyrotechnics in the western city of Bielefeld. Several others sustained injuries across Germany, some of which were serious.

There was still no official figure on how many people were actually injured nationwide. A hospital in Berlin’s Marzahn district reported 25 patients, including several children, “with severe hand injuries, including partial or complete amputations of fingers or parts of the hand.”

In Berlin, police reported 400 arrests until the early morning hours. A preliminary assessment indicated that at least 24 police officers were injured.

Emergency responders and police officers were massively attacked with firecrackers and New Year’s rockets in several German cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Leipzig and Munich.

Meanwhile, in Leipzig, reports emerged of attacks on police officers, with dozens of individuals assaulting forces using fireworks and bottles. Barricades were erected, and garbage bins were set on fire.

In another related incident, a fire in a historic building in the eastern city of Erfurt spread to two adjacent houses, a police spokesman said. According to the fire department, a New Year's Eve rocket probably caused the fire. There was no one in the building at the time of the fire.