JEDDAH: Naif Ibrahim spent the Eid holiday as a patient at King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah for treatment of an injury to his face, which was the result of a firecracker explosion just a few days before Eid Al-Fitr, a local newspaper reported.

The explosion damaged part of his eye and head, and until the morning of Eid, doctors were still consulting over his health condition, while his family and friends prayed for him to recover.

Naif and a group of his friends were attending celebrations in their neighborhood on a night before Eid. Trying to implement a small trial, one of the fireworks exploded in his face and resulted in the catastrophe.

In Jeddah’s Balad district, fireworks vendors sell the commodity with extra caution, fearing they could be caught by security authorities on the lookout to prevent sales of illegal fireworks.

To buy fireworks, you have to wander in the alleys to encounter random individuals whispering in your ear, asking you if you want to buy fireworks. You will receive the commodity through yet another intermediary person, who will then quickly and skillfully disappear.

This year the strict security constraints limited this trade and police squads succeeded in preventing sellers from trading in their commodity.

A Yemeni seller said in this regard: “The situation in Yemen and on the south border helped in smuggling fireworks into the Kingdom. Any group of youths who want to get their hands on this item can have access to it through distributors who can manage to smuggle all shapes and sizes of fireworks into the country.”

Jazan police warned against the hazards of fireworks and other dangerous items threating the well-being of children and youngsters, especially during Eid. Many such unfortunate accidents, involving this risky practice, have caused so much damage to children.

Nasser Al-Duwaisi, Jazan region police chief and head of the security committee, said trading and promoting fireworks is an offense punishable under the law, stressing the importance of cooperating with all security authorities and report vendors that selling them.

He urged parents to follow up on their children, for their safety, and enjoy the Eid away from the dangers of fireworks.

Meanwhile, a Saudi ophthalmologist has warned of the danger of fireworks on the young and the damage that can be caused to the eyes, which could lead to vision loss.

Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Mazrou said on his account on Twitter that he treated a child with an eye injured by fireworks, noting that the child unfortunately lost his vision in the affected eye.

He added that the magnitude of the explosion of the fireworks caused the burning of the front and rear part of the cornea, resulting in internal bleeding. He called on parents to pay attention to their children and protect them from the dangers of fireworks.