Teenager’s hand severely injured by homemade firecrackers

The 15-year-old boy, who has been admitted to Children’s Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City, lost one finger in his right hand while another was torn and three others were severely damaged.

The injuries were so severe that bones were protruding, and most of his hand’s functionalities could be lost, Dr Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nga said.

Surgeons had to excise necrotized parts and graft tissues gradually. He has been in the hospital for over three weeks, and surgeries are ongoing to restore his hand.

His family said the boy made firecrackers at home, and they exploded in his hand when he tried to set them off.

Nga said he was among five children hospitalized in the last three weeks with severe injuries to the point of loss of function due to homemade firecracker-related accidents.

“These cases require very long treatment, but the chances of restoring the functions of their limbs are not high.”

In Vietnam, the production, sale and use of fireworks and explosives have been banned since 1994 after their widespread use resulted in many deaths and injuries and losses of dozens of billions of dong (VND1 billion = US$44,150) every year.