A firework veered off course and struck a crowd at an event in Alicante, Spain, leaving approximately 27 people injured. Fourteen were reportedly taken to hospital, 11 of whom were admitted to the Burn Unit.
Chaos at Castell de l'Olla
The incident occurred at the Castell de l'Olla fireworks display, an annual pyrotechnic festival marking its 40th anniversary on Sunday. Organizers used 1,500 kilos of gunpowder for the event, which drew an estimated 100,000 people to the beach in Benidorm on Spain's Costa Blanca in the early hours.
Video footage on social media captured shrieks and screams as the firework erupted above the crowd, with people ducking for cover and abandoning their chairs as sparks flew.
Injuries and Response
Those with serious burns were transported to the General University Hospital of Alicante, while several others were treated at the Altea Health Centre.
One shaken witness recalled: 'What was supposed to be a night of partying ended in moments of real panic.'
'The fireworks went straight towards the area where we were on the beach, and people started running,' they added. 'Ambulances and emergency services went to the scene. There is talk of numerous wounded.'
Investigation Underway
Organisers, the Brotherhood of Castell de l'Olla, confirmed that paramedics responded quickly to those injured. They met with the event's safety commissioners and pyrotechnics managers at the Town Hall to analyse what happened.
Mayor of Altea, Diego Zaragozí, explained that some people were injured amid the rush of everyone fleeing the scene in a frenzy. He added that the malfunction occurred during one of the firework's launches from its platform, resulting in the shell reaching the spectators instead of exploding over the water.
A full investigation is to be carried out to determine exactly what went wrong.
