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Global Post
May 4 2012
Armenia: Explosions at rally injure over 140 (VIDEO)
Explosions at a rally in Armenia, caused by hundreds of small balloons
igniting, injured over 140 people.
More than 140 people were injured at a political rally in the central
square of Armenia's capital on Friday when clusters of balloons
exploded, according to the Associated Press.
According to emergency officials, 104 people had to be hospitalized
for burns after the explosion in Yerevan.
The explosion was caused by a smoker who lit a cigarette near the
balloons, said the AP.
The crowds had gathered for a government campaign event ahead of
parliamentary polls, according to the BBC.
Health ministry spokesperson Shushan Hananyan said that some of the
injured were hurt during the chaos that ensued after the blasts.
"I heard an explosion and saw flames rising high," a 30-year-old woman
told Reuters. "People rushed away from the square, and I saw a man
with a burnt face and a girl whose back was on fire."
The BBC said that despite the incident, President Serge Sarkisian did
address the rally.
The Republican Party and its ally Prosperous Armenia are likely to win
60 percent of the votes in Sunday's election, according to opinion
polls cited by Reuters.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/120504/armenia-explosions-at-rally-injure-over-140
From: Baghdasarian
May 4 2012
Armenia: Explosions at rally injure over 140 (VIDEO)
Explosions at a rally in Armenia, caused by hundreds of small balloons
igniting, injured over 140 people.
More than 140 people were injured at a political rally in the central
square of Armenia's capital on Friday when clusters of balloons
exploded, according to the Associated Press.
According to emergency officials, 104 people had to be hospitalized
for burns after the explosion in Yerevan.
The explosion was caused by a smoker who lit a cigarette near the
balloons, said the AP.
The crowds had gathered for a government campaign event ahead of
parliamentary polls, according to the BBC.
Health ministry spokesperson Shushan Hananyan said that some of the
injured were hurt during the chaos that ensued after the blasts.
"I heard an explosion and saw flames rising high," a 30-year-old woman
told Reuters. "People rushed away from the square, and I saw a man
with a burnt face and a girl whose back was on fire."
The BBC said that despite the incident, President Serge Sarkisian did
address the rally.
The Republican Party and its ally Prosperous Armenia are likely to win
60 percent of the votes in Sunday's election, according to opinion
polls cited by Reuters.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/120504/armenia-explosions-at-rally-injure-over-140
From: Baghdasarian