City sees 37% slump in fireworks sales

Fireworks sales in Beijing have slumped 37 percent this Spring Festival holiday season as more people shun them amid worries about worsening the city's air pollution. Local residents bought 195,000 boxes of fireworks between Lunar New Year Eve on Jan 30 and Feb 4, down 37 percent from a year earlier, the public security bureau said in a statement on Wednesday. During the six days from Lunar New Year Eve to Feb 4, there were 108 people injured while setting off fireworks, down 34.5 percent from the same period a year ago, the bureau said. There were no reports of deaths or loss of eyes. During the period, police received 7.4 percent fewer reports of fires caused by fireworks than a year ago.