Fireworks accidents claim two lives in Netherlands, fire destroys Amsterdam church PHOTO

Two people died in fireworks-related accidents, and scattered violence erupted across the Netherlands as the country welcomed the New Year, while a historic church in central Amsterdam was destroyed by fire.

The Netherlands traditionally celebrates the New Year with individuals setting off their own fireworks, resulting in hundreds of injuries and millions of euros in damage annually, Caliber.Az reports via CNN.

This year, around 250 people were arrested on New Year’s Eve, and riot police were deployed in several towns, police reported.

“The impact of heavy fireworks and arson this New Year’s Eve in some areas was utterly devastating. The targeted violence against emergency services and police was intense again,” police said in a statement on January 1.

The fireworks accidents claimed the lives of a 38-year-old man in Aalsmeer, near Amsterdam, and a boy from Nijmegen, in the eastern part of the country, police said.

In Amsterdam, the neo-Gothic Vondelkerk, located near the city’s central Vondelpark, was destroyed by a fire that broke out shortly after midnight.

Amsterdam police and firefighters said they are investigating the blaze and had no comment yet on its cause. The church was originally built in 1872.

New Year’s Eve 2025 marked the final celebration before a nationwide ban on the sale of fireworks to consumers comes into effect.

Emergency room doctors, police, firefighters, and local and national politicians have been campaigning for the ban for years.

By Jeyhun Aghazada