A 33-year-old man was killed in eastern Crete on Sunday when a marine distress flare he set off exploded. Together with two friends, the man was participating in the Canrival celebrations in Agios Nikolaos on Sunday.
Τhe man was rushed to the hospital with a severely bleeding wound in the abdominal area and died a few hours later despite doctors’ efforts to save him.
The man and his friends had brought 20 flares with them as they joined the Carnival crowds.
They had already set off almost all of the naval flares when the victim decided to light one more. It is not clear whether it was due to poor handling that the flare exploded and wedged in his abdomen.
Police arrested the victim’s two friends and confiscated the remains of ten flares that were already detonated. The arrestees handed two more flares to authorities.
According to state broadcaster ERT, the men said they got the expired naval flares from a boat owner. They refused to reveal his identity.
Nautical flares are easy to obtain from fishing shops, however, with the presentation of a fishing boat license as these are used at sea to signal emergency marine distress.
The local prosecutor investigates the case.
The victim was the owner of a bakery and about to et married soon.
