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Khaleej Times, UAE
May 5 2012
Balloon blasts injure 140 at Armenia rally
(AFP) / 5 May 2012
More than 140 people were injured on Friday when gas-filled balloons
exploded at a governing party campaign concert in the Armenian capital
ahead of parliamentary polls.
The emergencies ministry said 144 people suffered burns when scores of
promotional balloons burst into flames at a concert staged by
President Serzh Sarkisian's Republican party in Yerevan's central
Republic Square.
Armenian Internet sites showed a fireball rising into the air and
chaotic images of people screaming in confusion and anger.
`The balloons exploded and caught fire after people holding the
bunches released them from their hands into the air,' a witness told
AFP.
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosions although
police said they were looking into various potential reasons including
the `improper storage of flammable substances'.
`All the victims had either medium or light injuries. Now doctors are
trying to revive them from shock,' Health Minister Harutiun Kushkian
told reporters.
The promotional balloons were decorated with the governing party's
election slogan `Let's believe in change'.
The incident marred a largely calm election campaign and President
Sarkisian promised a full investigation.
`I urge everyone to keep calm. Let us pray for all the victims and
wish them a quick recovery,' he said in a statement.
Sarkisian's party has been tipped by opinion polls to triumph in
Sunday's election ahead of its ruling coalition rival, the Prosperous
Armenia party led by a wealthy former arm wrestling champion.
The vote is the biggest test of the ex-Soviet state's democratic
credentials since disputed presidential elections in 2008, when mass
rallies ended in bloody clashes between riot police and opposition
supporters that left 10 people dead, casting a shadow over Sarkisian's
administration.
The authorities in the mountainous country of 3.3 million people have
promised an unprecedentedly clean contest for the 131-seat National
Assembly in the hope of avoiding further political turmoil.
Opposition parties however have questioned the validity of the opinion
polls and threatened demonstrations if there are mass falsifications.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=data/international/2012/May/international_May180.xml§ion=international
May 5 2012
Balloon blasts injure 140 at Armenia rally
(AFP) / 5 May 2012
More than 140 people were injured on Friday when gas-filled balloons
exploded at a governing party campaign concert in the Armenian capital
ahead of parliamentary polls.
The emergencies ministry said 144 people suffered burns when scores of
promotional balloons burst into flames at a concert staged by
President Serzh Sarkisian's Republican party in Yerevan's central
Republic Square.
Armenian Internet sites showed a fireball rising into the air and
chaotic images of people screaming in confusion and anger.
`The balloons exploded and caught fire after people holding the
bunches released them from their hands into the air,' a witness told
AFP.
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosions although
police said they were looking into various potential reasons including
the `improper storage of flammable substances'.
`All the victims had either medium or light injuries. Now doctors are
trying to revive them from shock,' Health Minister Harutiun Kushkian
told reporters.
The promotional balloons were decorated with the governing party's
election slogan `Let's believe in change'.
The incident marred a largely calm election campaign and President
Sarkisian promised a full investigation.
`I urge everyone to keep calm. Let us pray for all the victims and
wish them a quick recovery,' he said in a statement.
Sarkisian's party has been tipped by opinion polls to triumph in
Sunday's election ahead of its ruling coalition rival, the Prosperous
Armenia party led by a wealthy former arm wrestling champion.
The vote is the biggest test of the ex-Soviet state's democratic
credentials since disputed presidential elections in 2008, when mass
rallies ended in bloody clashes between riot police and opposition
supporters that left 10 people dead, casting a shadow over Sarkisian's
administration.
The authorities in the mountainous country of 3.3 million people have
promised an unprecedentedly clean contest for the 131-seat National
Assembly in the hope of avoiding further political turmoil.
Opposition parties however have questioned the validity of the opinion
polls and threatened demonstrations if there are mass falsifications.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=data/international/2012/May/international_May180.xml§ion=international