Christmas disaster as seven shoppers are rushed to hospital from a Sydney Westfield after a midnight promotional balloon drop caused a stampede
- Seven people were taken to hospital after being caught in a stampede Monday
- Shoppers were injured during a midnight balloon drop at Westfield Parramatta
- Swarms of people rushed to get their hands on balloons containing vouchers
Seven people have been rushed to hospital after being caught up in a stampede while Christmas shopping at Sydney’s Westfield mall.
About 150 shoppers gathered at the shopping centre in Parramatta on Monday for a midnight balloon drop containing vouchers encouraging customers to shop all night.
But the Christmas promotion turned into chaos as swarms of people rushed to get their hands on the gold and white balloons falling from the ceiling and caused a stampede.
Christmas chaos: Up to 150 people had gathered at Westfield mall in Parramatta on Monday for a midnight balloon drop offering vouchers encouraging customers to shop all night
Christmas promotion turned into a disaster as swarms of people rushed to get their hands on the gold and white balloons and caused a stampede
Around 15 people were injured in the scuffle, as well as a number of children who were crushed, 9News reported.
Multiple people were treated at the scene, while those requiring further treatment were taken to Westmead Hospital.
The balloon drop was part of the mall’s 33-hour shopping marathon offering Christmas shoppers a last-minute chance to buy gifts.
Around 15 people were injured in the scuffle, as well as a number of children who were crushed, according to reports