United Press International (UPI)
May 5 2012

Balloon blasts injure 144 in Armenia

YEREVAN, Armenia, May 5 (UPI) — A total of 144 people were injured at
a political rally in Yerevan, Armenia, when helium-filled balloons
exploded, causing a stampede, officials said.

Health Minister Arutyun Kushkyan said there were no major injuries at
the Friday rally — those injured mostly received burns, RIA Novosti
reported Saturday.

“No one was killed by the blast in downtown Yerevan,” Nikolai
Grigoryan, a deputy head of the ministry’s rescue service, said.

A spokeswoman for the Health Ministry said many people were injured in
the panic and stampede as a result of the blast, not the explosions
themselves.

The incident occurred at an electoral rally for the Republican Party
of Armenia, RIA Novosti said.