Across the Netherlands, New Year’s Eve passed without major incidents in most areas, though police arrested dozens for violence, obstructing emergency services, and other offenses. Around the country, several dozen cars were set on fire.
This preliminary information comes from camera journalists, press agencies, and local broadcasters. Official data from the police and the Ministry of Justice and Security is pending.
The number of firework-related injuries remains unclear, but a 14-year-old boy in Rotterdam died, likely from setting off heavy fireworks, and a 13-year-old in Kamperland was severely injured by igniting a Cobra-6. At the Eye Hospital in Rotterdam, 12 new patients with firework-related eye injuries were treated by 2 a.m.
A staff member from a towing company reported to RTV Utrecht that over 20 burned-out car wrecks were brought to a special site in Utrecht before midnight. In Alphen aan den Rijn, multiple car fires occurred.
In Veen, a police car was set on fire, prompting riot police intervention. Despite firework bans in 19 municipalities, enforcement was not prioritized, and fireworks were widely used in places like Amsterdam, Haarlem, and Utrecht.
Building damage reports are sparse, but a supermarket roof in Bergen op Zoom was destroyed, and a thatched-roof house in Kimswerd caught fire.
Source: NOS