CHAOS on New Year’s Eve led to five people being killed by fireworks and 400 arrested in explosive riots.

Germany was plunged into a nightmare when it should have been celebrating – as law officials fell victim to violent rampages.

The terrifying footage shows hundreds of police officers standing guard to try and prevent more violence from unfolding.

Windows are smashed in the clips and explosions ring out through the streets.

Rioters can be seen crowding the streets, setting off fireworks and running rampant through the roads.

Among the five dead was a 24-year-old man, who was killed by a homemade firework that is believed to have gone off prematurely near Paderborn in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Police believe he had constructed the pyrotechnic rocket himself. 

In Berlin, 30 police officers and one firefighter were injured in confrontations or attacks in a series of disasters that spread across the country.

In Cologne, police said that two officers were injured after fireworks had been shot at emergency service workers, while Leipzig saw 50 people attack firefighters and cops.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said: “The deployment of strong police forces from the federal states and the federal police and an early and consistent crackdown are the right means against perpetrators of violence and chaos.

“However, the many arrests in Berlin alone and the renewed attacks on police officers also show that this crackdown was absolutely necessary.”

The violence on New Year’s Eve wasn’t just restricted to the streets.

In Neuwied, a small city in western Germany, police believe a firework was used to set a warehouse ablaze at around 1am.

It was estimated it would cost somewhere in a “medium six-figure range” to repair the damage.

Affected locals were cleared from nearby homes by emergency services and the fire was brought under control.

Local cops commented: “At the site a large warehouse, storing timber among other things, was discovered fully ablaze.

“Work to extinguish the fire continues. The severe heat build-up also caused damage to nearby buildings.”

GOODBYE 2024, HELLO 2025

Elsewhere in the world, several countries held a traditional fireworks display, with China and the UAE as a highlight.

The magic in Shanghai at the Baoshan International Cruise Port stunned audiences with its images of cultural symbols and Chinese text illuminating the sky.

Countless drones flew into the air and hovered for several moments at a time, and even appeared to move whilst lit up.

The emirate’s New Year’s Eve programme was called “Our Story in the Sky“, displaying a series of cultural symbols that tell the emirate’s story.

Organisers said more than 100,000 residents and visitors gathered to watch the show.

Fireworks from over 60 locations across all seven Emirates, more than 10,000 drones, and multiple world records are lighting up the first few minutes of New Year 2025 in the UAE.

These coordinated shows took place at multiple amazing venues, including the famous Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Ras Al Khaimah, the capital of the Emirate, set two new Guinness World Records with its drones and fireworks display.

The first was for the largest aerial display of a tree formed by drones and the second was the largest aerial image of a seashell formed by drones.

Thousands of Brits across the country took to the streets to usher in 2025 despite the chaotic weather.

Winds as strong as 75mph and torrential rain were not enough to halt the boozy celebrations as pals made the most of things.

But as the night rumbled on, partygoers were forced to make do with whatever they had to battle against the elements.

They were seen using scarves, plastic bags, handbags, pictures, jackets and broken umbrellas.

A crowd of 100,000 people who braved the weather cheered from the banks of the Thames as Big Ben brought in the new year with its 12 bongs.

More than 12,000 fireworks were set off on river barges and from the foot of the London Eye as millions more watched on television.