Johor police are tracking a vendor who sold illegal fireworks that caused a man to lose his leg during a Chinese New Year celebration.

SEGAMAT: Police are hunting for a fireworks vendor believed to have sold prohibited materials that caused a man to lose his left leg.

The 32-year-old victim was lighting firecrackers outside his home in Taman Damai Jaya, Bukit Siput, on Tuesday when the device exploded.

Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said initial investigations found the fireworks used were from an unapproved category.

“The materials were purchased, possessed and ignited illegally at the time of the incident,” he told reporters.

He identified the firework as a “shoot cake 4 (D) 16 shot (premium)” type, which is not among the 45 types permitted for possession and import.

The victim was first treated at Segamat Hospital before being transferred to a private hospital in Melaka for further care.

Ab Rahaman warned that strict action, including licence revocation, would be taken against any party found selling fireworks outside the approved list.

The case is being investigated under Sections 6 and 8 of the Explosives Act 1957.

 The Sun Malaysia