A teenager lost a thumb, index finger and part of his middle finger when a firecracker exploded in his hand in the early hours of Sunday.

Police received information around 15 minutes after midnight that there was an injured person at a building under construction in Engomi, Nicosia.

There they found the 17-year-old injured. He told them a firecracker had exploded in his hand as he set it off.

Firecrackers are illegal. The teen was also out during a curfew.

An ambulance was called, which took him to Nicosia General Hospital, where he was found to have lost a thumb, index finger and part of his middle finger.

The 17-year-old was then taken to a private clinic in Limassol, where he underwent surgery.