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ACCIDENT-AUSTRALIA
Australia Christmas gift scramble leaves a dozen injured
SYDNEY, Dec 24, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A frantic scramble for gift promotions
left a dozen people injured in an Australian mall on Tuesday, after hundreds
of balloons with prizes inside were dropped on Christmas shoppers gathered
below.
Around 150 people jostled for prime position as two massive bags full of
balloons hovered overhead in the shopping centre in Sydney’s western suburbs.
When they were opened at midnight, cries went up as the crowd surged
forwards, crushing people and knocking over a Christmas prop, which sent a
Santa careening back several metres, footage of the event shows.
“People were screaming at each other, telling each other to get off them,”
witness Christie Trawan Budi told AFP.
Twelve people were treated for minor injuries, with five taken to hospital
with a “mixture of leg and ankle injuries, chest pain and muscular skeletal
injuries due to being stepped on,” said New South Wales state ambulance.
“Once the ballons were released in the air, the crowd rushed towards the
balloons, causing a number of people to be knocked over and injured,” police
said in a statement.
The shopping centre management told local media it was investigating the
incident.
BSS/AFP/RY/12:10 hrs