A footballer lost a finger and parts of two other digits after a flare exploded in his hand during a post-match celebration with fans.
Fabio Schiafino suffered the shocking injury on his 26th birthday.
The striker had just scored two goals when disaster struck.
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His team KSCT Menen had thrashed SK Zillebeke 4-0 in the Belgian Fourth Division C league tie.
After the match, he picked up the pyrotechnic when a fan threw it on the pitch.
However, the device, a banned firecracker called Cobra 6, exploded in his hand.
As a result, Schiafino lost his entire index finger as well as half of his thumb and middle finger.
He told local media: “I first thought it was a smoke bomb and I immediately saw the danger, both for my teammates and the fans.
“There were children around, I didn’t want anyone to get burned.
“In a split second, I decided to remove the projectile.
“When the smoke cleared, I saw a lot of blood on my right hand, some fingers were missing.”
“I didn’t immediately realise what had happened, my brother walked towards me and it was only when I saw him staring at my hand in shock that I looked at it.
“My hand was completely destroyed.”
Schiafino underwent three operations in a 48-hour period and is still receiving care in a hospital in Bruges, as reported by Need To Know.
From his hospital bed, the footballer said: “It’s not going well.
“I haven’t slept or eaten for almost two days, they’ve taken me from one operating room to another.
“I think I’ve had three or four operations already.”
“I’m receiving medication and anaesthesia 24 hours a day, 7 days a week intravenously.”
Mathieu Verhoest, president of SK Zillebeke, described the Cobra 6 firecracker as a “heavy pyrotechnic product with the power of a hand grenade”.
He added that it is “banned in our country”.
The suspected thrower, identified as a 21-year-old KSCT Menen fan from Wevelgem, was arrested and later released on conditions.
He faces charges of assault and battery and a possible stadium ban for up to 10 years.
Schiafino said: “I know the guy a little, he contacted me to ask if he could call me.
“When I spoke to him on the phone, I told him that I do not blame him.”
The police investigation into the incident on 19 October continues.
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