MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine officials say firecrackers have left at least one man dead, 380 other revelers injured and caused a fire that gutted 1,000 shanties, despite rains and a government scare campaign.
Health Secretary Janet Garin said Friday that a drunken man lit a dynamite-like firecracker called "Goodbye Philippines" and embraced it on New Year's Eve, ripping his jaw and killing him.
Garin says the number of injured, while still alarming, was less than half of last year's number because of rains late Thursday and government warnings that people risked limb amputations if they were injured by oversized firecrackers.
Fire officials also said a rocket lit by revelers set ablaze an abandoned hut and sparked a fire that razed about 1,000 shanties in Manila.
