A 54-year-old man from the Calabarzon region died due to severe injuries in his left hand from a blast from the firecracker kwitis, raising fatalities from the New Year celebration to four.

This includes a death from a stray bullet, the Department of Health (DOH) added Sunday.

As for firecracker-related injuries, the DOH said there are a total of 832 cases reported from December 22, 2024 to January 5, 2025. This is 37 percent higher than the same period last year, said the DOH.

In the last 24 hours, a total of 61 firecracker-related injuries were reported.

Nearly 500 injuries involved those aged 19 years old and below. DMS