The boy, from a Roma camp outside the northern Italian city of Asti, died in hospital in the early hours of New Year's Day after a firecracker severely injured his abdomen. 

 

At the same time, the International Organization for the Protection of Animals (OIPA) called for a ban on fireworks in a post showing starling carcasses littering a street in Rome. 

 

“It can be that they died from fear. They can fly up together and knock against each other, or hit windows or electric power lines. Let’s not forget they can also die of heart attacks,” said Loredana Diglio, a spokeswoman for the organisation.

 

 

Despite the boy's tragic death, a local ban on personal fireworks displays in Rome, and nationwide lockdown over New Year's Eve meant for an unusually subdued celebrations, with the number of accidents requiring firefighters to be called out was down by two thirds. 

 

Firefighters carried out 229 interventions across Italy over New Year’s Eve, compared with 686 last year, the the department of public security said in over Twitter. 

 

Of the 79 people injured, 23 were hospitalised,

 

Most of of the call-outs were in Lazio, the region surrounding Rome.

 

A woman was taken to hospital in Naples after she was hit on the head by a firecracker splinter while taking the rubbish out. 

 

A man in Milan lost two of his fingers in the most serious incident there, while others across Italy reported injuries to their hands and close to their eyes. 

 

Eight of the total injured were children.

 

OIPA said that the birds dead in the picture appeared to have been killed by a particularly loud display of firecrackers and fireworks in the leafy neighborhood where many of the birds have their nests.