The Quakertown victim, who was not identified, was 19 years old and from Pulaski, Lawrence County, Pa. An employee of Zambelli Fireworks Internationale, he was struck by debris about 9:45 p.m. Saturday, at the start of the the grand finale at Quakertown's Memorial Park. Thousands were evacuated from the park.

Cpl. Scott Fogel of the Quakertown police said the man was struck in the neck and chest. He was taken to St. Luke's Hospital in Quakertown, where he was pronounced dead, Fogel said.

Zambelli, based in New Castle, Lawrence County, was involved in hundreds of Independence Day fireworks displays across the country Saturday, CEO Doug Taylor said. The company was founded in 1893.

Taylor declined to identify the employee, but said he worked both in the plant, preparing materials for shows, and in the field as an assistant.

"This is obviously very fresh on everyone's mind," Taylor said.

"The employee's family is still trying to deal with it. Right now, most important of all, we're focusing on his family and cooperating with authorities."

Besides the fireworks accidents, a pedestrian bridge collapsed in Indiana as fans were leaving a fireworks show, injuring 25 people. Authorities said yesterday that the crowd had overloaded the bridge.

The blast at Ocracoke came as workers were unloading fireworks Saturday from a truck at the Anchorage Marina, shaking homes and businesses across the southern end of Ocracoke Island and rattling residents and tourists.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the island off the North Carolina coast investigating yesterday.

Dock master Robert Raborn was about 200 yards away from the truck and said the explosion was one of the loudest things he had ever heard.

"It was like 40 minutes worth of fireworks going off in four seconds," Raborn said.

The third victim died late Saturday at Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, N.C., said Hyde County spokeswoman Jamie Tunnell. A fourth died yesterday.

In addition, two firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation and exhaustion, she said.

All five worked for Melrose South Pyrotechnics near Rock Hill, S.C. The company said it had sent a representative to work with investigators.

At Merrillville, Ind., the collapse of the wooden pedestrian bridge at Hidden Lake Park dropped at least 50 people into a lake Saturday night and injured about 25, police said. None of the injuries was life-threatening, authorities said.

Merrillville is about 45 miles southeast of Chicago. The spectators were leaving a fireworks display at about 10 p.m.

The wooden, cable-suspended bridge could handle about 40 people at a time but as many as 80 were on it when it gave way, said Ross Township Trustee John Rooda, who attended the show. The township operates the park.

"The problem is it was overloaded," Rooda said. Merillville police officers were stationed at either end of the 90-foot bridge to control the number of people, but the crowd "rushed" the officers, Rooda said yesterday. *

Daily News staff writer Jason Nark and the Associated Press contributed to this report.