Boy loses three fingers in firecracker explosion

Police on Thursday were investigating the conditions under which an 11-year-old boy lost three of his fingers following a firecracker explosion.

The boy was transferred to the accident and emergency department of Paphos general hospital by his parents around 6.30pm on Wednesday.

He had three fingers amputated on his left hand while both of his palms were injured, Paphos CID chief and police spokesman Michalis Nicolaou told the Cyprus News Agency.

The boy was then taken to a private clinic in the district where he underwent surgery.

According to his father’s statement to the police, the boy and his eight-year-old brother were playing in the courtyard of their community church in Droushia when they found a firecracker on the street.

Then, the older brother used a lighter to light it up and the firecracker exploded in his hands.

As part of the investigations into the case, officers arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area for examinations.

The boy’s injury comes after police spoke of a night of mayhem on Holy Saturday, as four people were seriously injured with two losing fingers, multiple fires, damage to property and attacks on police and firefighters.