Five people suffered serious burns late Sunday in an apparent accident while preparing homemade rockets for a traditional Easter celebration on the eastern Aegean island of Chios, authorities said.Five people suffered serious burns late Sunday in an apparent accident while preparing homemade rockets for a traditional Easter celebration on the eastern Aegean island of Chios, authorities said. The injured were taken to the island’s Skylitseio General Hospital, according to state broadcaster ERT. One person was later discharged, while three men and one woman remained hospitalized. Health officials are expected to assess their condition on Monday to determine whether any need to be transferred to a hospital in Athens for further treatment. Initial reports indicate the group had been making rockets for the annual “rocket war” tradition in the village of Vrontados, a long-standing Orthodox Easter custom that draws large crowds and involves rival parishes launching thousands of homemade rockets at each other’s bell towers in a symbolic competition dating back generations. The exact circumstances under which the flammable materials ignited remain unclear.
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