A 9-YEAR-OLD girl in Marikina City was added to the list of stray-bullet victims, a day before the year ended.
The Department of Health (DOH) said the girl was hit by a stray bullet in the left- chest area while watching a television show at home.
The girl was rushed at the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center. She was later transfered to the Marikina Valley Medical Center, where she is scheduled for operation.
Health Secretary Janette Garin, however, said the number of casualties during the 2016 New Year revelry was lower than in previous years.
Garin, who visited the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center and Philippine General Hospital in Manila and the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, said that 384 firework-related injuries were recorded by the DOH as of 6 a.m. on Friday. The figure is 250 cases (57 percent) lower compared to the same period as last year, which was 634.
Of the cases, 46 percent, or 85 injuries, were recorded in Metro Manila with the Bicol Region at far second with 31 cases (16 percent).
In Metro Manila, Quezon City has the most number of injuries with 26 (31 percent), with the City of Manila at close second with 23 injuries (27 percent).
