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.
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