Firecrackers wreak havoc

Firing guns and lighting firecrackers to ring in the New
Year is customary in Italy, though in recent years officials have begun to
crack down on the dangerous practises. As 2010 turned to 2011, one man died
from a stray bullet and another 500 people were injured after being hit by live
firecrackers last New Year’s Eve. Children and teenagers numbered highest among
the injured, many in the Campania region. In Florence, 12 people were injured
on New Year’s Eve by exploding firecrackers