Minute30.com .- The beginning of 2026 comes with worrying figures for public health in Colombia. According to the preliminary bulletin of the National Institute of Health (INS), as of 8:00 am on January 1, the country registered a total of 1,313 people injured by pyrotechnic gunpowder, between December 1, 2025 and January 2, 2026, which represents an increase of 2.2% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Lina Lozano Lesmes, director of surveillance and risk analysis in public health at the INS, provided the details of this statistic that tarnishes the festivities. Only between the afternoon of December 31 and the morning of January 1, 285 new cases were reported, showing that the use of fireworks during New Year’s Eve continues to be a critical risk factor.
Archive photo.
Minors: The most vulnerable victims
One of the most painful points of the report is the impact on children. Of the total number, 403 cases correspond to minors under 18 years of age.
The negligence of adults is a determining factor in these tragedies: the official pointed out that 49 of these minors were in the company of adults under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. This situation puts in focus the legal responsibility of parents and caregivers, who could face sanctions from the ICBF and the competent authorities.
Departments with the highest number of injuries
The map of recklessness in Colombia has Antioquia in first place. Despite the constant prevention campaigns in Medellín and the municipalities of the Aburrá Valley, the department continues to lead gunpowder accidents.
Antioquia: 173 cases.
Nariño: 125 cases.
Bogotá: 101 cases.
Norte de Santander: 82 cases.
Cauca: 71 cases.
A call to responsibility
The National Institute of Health warned that the figure of 1,313 injuries is preliminary and it is very likely that the number will increase in the coming hours, as territorial entities upload reports from healthcare centers.
“We call for responsibility. The INS continues to build public health with and from the territories, but real prevention begins at home,” emphasized Lozano Lesmes.
No celebration is worth a burn, an amputation, or loss of vision. The reporting of new cases will continue during the Kings Bridge, a date on which new incidents are historically recorded.