Two people died in the Netherlands in fireworks accidents and there were isolated cases of violence as the country celebrated the New Year.
The Netherlands traditionally celebrates the New Year with people setting off their own fireworks, which causes hundreds of injuries and millions of euros in damage every year. This year, around 250 people were arrested on New Year’s Eve and, in several cities, riot police were called, according to police.
“The impact of heavy fireworks and arson this New Year’s Eve in some areas has been absolutely devastating. Violence targeting emergency services and police has been intense again,” police said in a statement on Thursday.
Fireworks accidents killed a 38-year-old man in Aalsmeer, near Amsterdam, and a boy from Nijmegen, a city in the east of the country, police said.
Fire in historic church
In Amsterdam, the , near the city’s central Vondelpark, was destroyed by a fire that broke out shortly after midnight.
Amsterdam police and fire brigade said they were investigating and have not yet commented on what caused the fire at the church, which was built in 1872.
New Year’s Eve 2025 marked the final year before a nationwide ban on the sale of fireworks to consumers goes into effect.
Emergency room doctors, police officers, firefighters, and local and national politicians have been campaigning for the ban for years.
