Night of Candles left a minor burned with gunpowder in Cesar

Despite the repeated prevention messages and educational campaigns deployed throughout the territory, the use of gunpowder continues to be the cause of great sadness during the Christmas season.

In the department of Cesar, the Night of Candles left the first teenager burned with gunpowder, bringing the cases in the territory to three. The first occurred in Aguachica, where a 30-year-old man suffered eye damage and in the Poponte district of Chiriguaná, an 8-year-old minor suffered burns on the fingers of his right hand.

The minor affected on Thursday night was transferred to the San Martín de Astrea hospital, and from there he was referred to the Sinais Vitais clinic in the municipality of Bosconia, for presenting first degree burns on various parts of the body, for handling a “Tote and Volcano ”.

This situation occurs every year, despite the work of entities that promote strategies to prevent burns due to the use of gunpowder during the Christmas holidays. This year the campaign called “La Pólvora quema tu vida” is promoted by the departmental Health Secretariat in each of the municipalities.

In the middle of the Christmas season, the different entities and authorities of the department of Cesar carry out prevention campaigns against the use of gunpowder, in order to promote safe festivities, without children, young people and adults being burned.

According to figures provided by the Ministry of Health, in Cesar last year there was a 53% increase in people injured during the season, so this year the goal is to lower those rates, stated the Departmental Health Secretariat. In 2022, fifteen of the 34 gunpowder incidents were under 15 years of age, with Aguachica being the municipality with the highest incidence.

The National Institute of Health, INS, confirmed that there would be 168 people injured by gunpowder in the country and of these, 89 were reported during the Day of Candles celebration.

Related