Five people were hospitalised after Christmas shoppers were crushed in a midnight balloon drop of gift vouchers at a Sydney suburban shopping centre.
Video footage showed people at the Westfield Parramatta shopping centre jostling for the gold, silver and white balloons containing the gift cards. As the crowd surged, shoppers were sent sprawling, including one person dressed as Santa Claus.
Jonathan Nott, who took the footage, said he was worried someone would get hurt as the crowd gathered.
“It did not look like a very safe area for a large crowd to scramble for balloons.”
Paramedics called to the scene treated 12 people. Four men and one woman were taken to hospital.
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