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Fireworks in Kidwelly: children injured by rockets

Fireworks in Kidwelly: children injured by rockets

Katherine Elizabeth Jenkins Fireworks are seen lighting up the sky and shooting into the crowd.Katherine Elizabeth Jenkins

One mother said fireworks started shooting into the crowd just three minutes into the show, but the show went on.

The fireworks display descended into chaos as rockets flew into the crowd and hit the spectators.

Ryan said her children were injured after they were hit by fireworks from a performance at Mynddygarreg Hall, near Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, on Tuesday night.

Another mother said that the malfunction occurred within three minutes, but the display did not stop.

Organizers have been contacted for comment.

Ryan said she had just finished filming part of the performance when chaos began.

She said her seven-year-old son Oliver was hit in the neck and her other son, 11-year-old Charlie, was hit in the ear.

“They were coming towards us and then they left, we didn’t know which way to turn or if there were any other people heading towards us, so we rushed back as fast as we could,” she said.

Charlie “complained of ear pain” but her children were unharmed.

However, she added, they were all “totally traumatized” and would “never want to go see fireworks again.”

She said she had heard that some parents had lost their children in the “chaos.”

Ryan said there were a lot of angry parents demanding refunds, but staff didn’t seem to know what was going on.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it was called at 19:26 GMT on Tuesday “after fireworks flew horizontally over the crowd” but its crews were not needed at the scene.

Viewer Emir was hit by fireworks as he and his wife Danielle tried to protect their children Sofia-Mai, five, and Steffan, eight.

Danielle said the demonstration lasted about 10 minutes and no staff came to make sure people were okay.

“It started out fine, was completely normal, like any other display, until they started moving in all directions,” she added.

“(The children) were petrified. We were surrounded by screaming children.”

She said many families were stuck at the front and parents were trying to cover for their children.

She said “no one came forward” and that no staff helped as people “screamed and ran away.”

Danielle said her children were very scared, but fortunately they were not hurt.