Christmas balloon drop causes stampede at shopping centre | ITV News

Five people were taken to hospital after a stampede at a shopping centre in Sydney sparked by a Christmas Eve balloon drop promotion.

Video posted on social media shows shoppers at the Westfield centre in Parramatta standing underneath a bunch of balloons, which contained free gift cards and shopping vouchers.

Once the balloons dropped, shoppers rushed to grab them, causing a stampede.

Australian broadcaster ABC said some shoppers had chest, neck, leg and back injuries.

A witness who works in the shopping centre described what happened as "mayhem".

"All I know was that people were getting crushed", she added.

The owner of the Westfield shopping centre says it is investigating the incident.

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