Two people had to have some of their fingers amputated after fireworks exploded in their hands during Diwali celebrations, the KwaZulu-Natal health department said on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Leon Mbangwa said the two, aged 32 and 34, were operated on at Durban's RK Khan and Mahatma Gandhi Hospitals, respectively.

The total number of people reported to the province's public hospitals had increased to nine, he said. It was not immediately known how many people had been treated at Durban's private hospitals.

He said: "The department of health would like to reiterate its call to people to exercise great caution when using fireworks, in order to avoid harming themselves and those in the vicinity during the use of fireworks."

On Monday night, a 13-year-old Durban boy had a firecracker explode in his mouth. The teenager, Zakeus Govender, was admitted into RK Khan Hospital's intensive care unit and is presently in a stable condition.

He sustained severe burns to the mouth.

A neighbour said the boy had lit a cracker and placed it inside a pipe outside his home in Colorado Circle, Bayview. When it did not explode, he went to take a look. "He put his head inside the pipe and that's when it burst, flying into his mouth," the neighbour said.

Meanwhile, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (SPCA) said there appeared to be less animals being brought in with injuries caused as a result of the fireworks.

Marketing manager Caroline Smith said on Wednesday that there had been no deliberate acts of cruelty reported. The society did, however, have to euthenase a cat and a dog, both of which appeared to have been struck by cars as they fled the noise of fireworks.

She said: "I think the reason that we have seen less incidents is that pet owners have been more proactive".

She said the SPCA had sold 12 000 tablets for calming pets, which was "a huge upswing" over previous years. She encouraged owners to continue to be considerate towards their pets.

Sapa