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Balloon blasts cause injuries

May 4, 2012

There was a scary moment for people attending a concert at a political rally in Armenia when several bunches of balloons exploded, sending several dozen people to the hospital.

https://p.dw.com/p/14qMP
A view shows the crowd right after the explosion of gas-filled balloons
Image: Reuters

Over 140 people were injured on Friday when a large number of party balloons simultaneously exploded at a political campaign concert in the Armenian capital, Yerevan.

The concert was put on by President Serzh Sarkisian's governing Republican party and comes ahead of parliamentary elections on Sunday.

A view shows the crowd right after the explosion of gas-filled balloons during a campaign rally
Not all the balloons ignited in the blastImage: Reuters

According to the emergencies ministry, 144 people suffered burns when small bunches of the balloons were ignited, sending a fireball into the air and concert-goers running in panic. Just over 100 went to the hospital, but no one suffered serious injuries.

The balloons, which were filled with gas, may have been ignited by a cigarette.

Sunday's poll is widely seen as a test of Armenia's democracy.

mz/msh (Reuters, AFP, AP)