A festive Deepavali celebration in Kedah took a devastating turn when a fireworks explosion injured 22 people in the early hours of Monday morning. The incident, which occurred around 12:45 a.m. in Paya Besar, Kulim, left one person with a serious head injury while others sustained minor burns and scratches.
According to police reports, a large crowd had gathered to enjoy the fireworks display when the explosion erupted unexpectedly, sending sparks and debris flying into the spectators. Kulim District Police Chief Superintendent Zulkifli Azizan confirmed that one victim suffered a deep five-centimetre wound to the forehead, while the rest experienced minor injuries from falling fragments and firework residue.
The festive atmosphere quickly turned into chaos as panic spread through the crowd. Eyewitnesses described how the joyous celebration transformed into a scene of confusion, with people running for cover as fireworks malfunctioned and exploded close to the ground.
Police officers, who were already conducting a crime prevention patrol in the area, were among the first to respond to the emergency. They received reports of the explosion shortly after midnight and immediately dispatched support teams to the scene. Two ambulances were sent to provide first aid to the injured, while traffic police were deployed to manage congestion caused by the massive crowd.
Superintendent Zulkifli said additional patrol units were called in to restore order and assist with crowd dispersal once the situation became chaotic. The injured were quickly transported to Kulim Hospital for treatment, while police cordoned off the area to ensure public safety and prevent further incidents.
Authorities are now investigating the cause of the explosion, including whether the fireworks were handled properly and if necessary permits had been obtained for the display. Early indications suggest that the fireworks may have malfunctioned or ignited prematurely, though police have not ruled out other possibilities.
The tragedy has cast a shadow over Deepavali celebrations in the area, which were meant to mark the Festival of Lights with joy and unity. Instead, what was meant to be a night of celebration ended in fear and injury, highlighting once again the dangers of improperly managed fireworks displays.
Police have urged the public to exercise caution during such festivities and to ensure that only licensed professionals handle pyrotechnics in future events.
FlyingBird (aicashflow7@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
