Italian police on Monday seized one
tonne of illegal Chinese-made fireworks at the Calabrian
container port of Gioia Tauro as the annual pre-New Year's Eve
fireworks sweep continued across the country.
Police also seized over three tonnes of illegal fireworks
between Naples and Caserta, arresting four men.
Other seizures included 363 kg in a shop in Arezzo, and several
hundred kg in Rome.
A 22-year-old man was arrested near Bari.
The 'Sinner' Bomb is the latest in a line of high-explosive New
Year's fireworks invented in Naples.
Italian police say the devastating device "shares the flame-red
hair and explosive shots" of the tennis world number one from
South Tyrol.
The 'bomb' was seized in the home-cum-workshop of a 24-year-old
man who had turned his residence into a powder keg and placed
his neighbours, as well as an adjacent medical centre and
school, at
high risk, police said.
Every year fireworks-mad Naples is the Italian city that has the
most injuries, and sometimes fatalities, due to the NYE mayhem.
The outrageous names of the most powerful fireworks are targeted
at youthful noise-lovers.
The Kvara Bomb is named after the Georgia wing dribbling
sensation who has sent league leader Napoli's fans wild.
The huge banger named after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia aka Kvaradona
for his similarities to Diego Maradona, joined past notorious
illegal Naples fireworks including the COVID Bomb, Cobra 7, the
Rambo 1, the Uranus 2020, the Kamikaze, the Bin Laden Bomb, The
Maradona Bomb, The Pope Bomb, Desert Storm, Red October, Turbo
3, The Spread, Maya and Insigne, after another past Napoli
darling, Italy striker Lorenzo Insigne.
Women in Naples got so fed up with their menfolk in 2008 that
they launched a 'no sex if you let off fireworks' drive.
The operation had some success as the number of injuries dropped
by about 100.
Many of the illegal fireworks sold in Italy are actually
rudimentary bombs.
Last New Year's Day hundreds of Italians were nursing burns and
injuries and some lost fingers as a result of New Year
celebrations with fireworks that went wrong.
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