Deaths by stray bullet, firecrackers confirmed

The Department of Health on Tuesday confirmed the country's first cases of deaths by stray bullet and firecrackers.

According to the department, the first stray bullet death was that of a 23-year-old male from Davao Region, who sustained a gunshot wound to his left upper back.

Meanwhile, the first death due to firecrackers was that of a 38-year-old male from Ilocos Region. He lit a cigarette while drinking with his peers near firecrackers in storage.

"Guns, liquor and fireworks should never mix," the department said in a statement.

Over the past 24 hours, the department also recorded 212 new cases of fireworks-related injuries, bringing the total caseload to 443.

The new cases range from 1 to 71 years old; almost eight out of 10 were male. The majority of 97 percent of the new cases occurred at home and in the streets.

Of the new cases, six were new amputation cases, bringing its total to 17. There were also 122 cases with eye injuries, leading to one confirmed blindness case.

The new cases also include one more hearing loss case, bringing the total to two. There have been no additional reports of ingestion thus far.

"Almost half were due to legal fireworks," it said.

The government issued a warning to the public — gun owners in particular — against engaging in indiscriminate shooting.

"Let us work to avoid injuries and deaths from stray bullets and 'accidents' due to intoxication. Responsible gun owners know that bullets that go up will go down, and discharging firearms is not a way to celebrate," it said.

"The death reported today was an incident waiting to happen because liquor impairs judgment. We can prevent these; we must work together across all sectors to do so," it added.