The accident happened on Thursday, France’s National Day. The incident has sparked a debate about why people were allowed so close to the place where the fireworks were shot.
15:47•Updated 16:33
Two people have been killed by fireworks in France’s Cholet in connection with the celebration of the National Day on Thursday, according to the French media. An investigation has been launched into the matter.
According to the eyewitnesses interviewed by the public broadcasting company EBU, everything went well at first, but suddenly one firework started bouncing and bounced off the ground.
Local prosecutor Eric Bouillard says in Le Monde that the victims were watching the pyrotechnic show about 60 meters from the launch site when a stray firework hit them.
This has raised questions about the responsibility of the organizer and why people were allowed so close to the place where the fireworks were shot.
Several videos of the incident have been published on social media.
Mayor of Cholet Gilles Bourdouleix called what happened a terrible tragedy and said that people in charge of security had urged people to move away.
The company that organized the fireworks has been responsible for them since 1994. The fireworks were computer controlled.
Cholet, with more than 50,000 inhabitants, is located about 50 kilometers southeast of Nantes.
Story edited on 15.7. at 16:33 Le Monde’s updated article: According to the city’s mayor, people had been advised to move away from the launch site.