A 10-year-old Belfast boy has been discharged from hospital where he was treated for serious injuries caused by a firework.
Colin McKay suffered burns to his face, arms and hands on Monday when an abandoned firework he and friends had found exploded on the ground.
The boys discovered the firework near their homes on the Poleglass estate on the outskirts of west Belfast. It is thought it was left after Halloween celebrations the night before. Colin and his friends tried to light the firework and were examining it on the ground when it exploded.
According to his mother, Ms Josie McKay, he suffered flash injuries to his face and eyes and serious burns to his wrists. There were fears for the boy's sight and he was unable to open his eyes until Thursday, three days after the incident.
Speaking to The Irish Times last night, she expressed her relief that he had been discharged from the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children to convalesce at home. "He needs antibiotics and creams on his face four times a day," she said, "and he will have to visit the hospital to get the bandages on his wrists changed. Then he will have to go for surgery on his wrists."
In another firework accident at Halloween, a south Armagh boy suffered severe hand injuries.
Danny Mullen (9) from Meigh lost a thumb and a finger when a firework exploded in his hand.