The joke is that every time someone gets blown up, an inquiry is undertaken but nothing gets mentioned about monitoring and enforcement and stiff fines and revoking of licences and imprisonment. This kind of action costs votes.

The family of that woman who died in Naxxar, and who also lost their house in the explosion a few years back – have they been compensated yet?

P.S. Because I read posts backwards I hadn’t seen the post on the quality of the chemicals which is an important point in my opinion. I think that most of these people know how dangerous what they do is and would not take unnecessary risks (others obviously do). If there is bad quality material which is blowing up firework factories it is very important that a) this material is removed from the market and b) that there are more stringent checks on this material.

True some might take too many risks and true some might use very rudimentary equipment and true one must look into the level of health and safety practices to ensure all are safeguarded, but to say that these pictures are from Afghanistan and to judge the person handling a a bomb just from a picture smacks of ignorance and arrogance.

I would leave the decision as to weather these people are qualified or not to someone competent.

I think that very few people understand that to create a single firework entails a great deal of work, thought, skill, practice and experience. I think that very few people are not amazed by the incredible firework displays we have in Malta and all around the world fireworks are seen as a fitting way to celebrate.

I think it is universally recognised that playing with fire will get you burnt and luckily for the viewer there are those crazy enough to create firework displays.

I have a feeling that firework factories are always a dangerous place which can blow up when mistakes are made and recently I saw an explosion on TV in some other country so I assume this is not only a local phenomenon.

I have a feeling that we might have a high incidence and this is where it is important to make sure that the factories are well equipped, that all the persons are well trained and qualified and that health and safety becomes a way of life rather than something we have to do to please others. We might also have a high incidence because of the large number of factories on such a small island which increases the probability.

I think that like in many other discussions people tend to speak based on impressions rather than fact and I personally think that one needs to see how we compare with other countries to see if we have a higher incidence and if so what are the underlying problems. It would be a shame if we go from one extreme to another. Safer firework factories I’m all for. Removing them completely, i’m definitely against.

Pippo, nahseb kieku n-nies, inkluz jien u int, ikunu jafu li mit-triq taghhom se jghaddu vannijiet mimmlijin loghob tan-nar, kulhadd joggezzjona.

Imma kos toqghod tqis, il-loghob tan-nar ta’ kull pajjiz jigi trasportat mit-toroq taghna bla ma naghtu kas ta’ xejn. Qatt ma rajt (almenu Malta) xi trakk/van li qed igorr xi loghob tan nar b xi karozza tal pulizija quddiemu.

Jien l-aktar li kidditni hi, kif mart sid il-kamra tigi tghid li zewgha kien jiehu ‘l uliedu minn mindu kellhom 10 snin. Tfal ta’ 10 snin jittiehdu l-kamra tan nar minn missierhom ta!

Jekk ghad fadal irgiel bhal dan, haqqhom min jallaqhom!

[Daphne – My thoughts exactly. That crowd isn’t much different from the masses of young men who mass in various Middle Eastern states to burn US flags and scream against the western devils. And here’s the thing – they’re doing it in the name of ‘religion’ too.]

Kazini tal-baned are being seen as alternative (and unregulated) places of entertainment by a good portion of our youth population, and very often these youngsters are lured to the infamous ‘kmamar tan-nar’ by fellow villagers for whom the yearly festa is the main feature dotting their calendar.

I happen to live in a village where there is a gym (almost always empty), a football pitch with turf, many of the youngsters the same age as those seen in these pics attend university or have a business, and yet the main place for socialising in the village is the kazin tal-banda, and the kmamar tan-nar – which are not (as is the impression given by these pictures) restricted to people pertaining to a particular sub-culture.

I know of university graduates (including some women) who are fireworks enthusiasts and who hold a licence to manufacture the same. Solution to the problem? Not one that I can think of.

Leonard, to me, they look more like a bunch of teenagers in competition of who’s got the biggest one.