Shoppers injured after Christmas balloon-drop in Sydney goes wrong

More than a dozen shoppers were injured during a Christmas giveaway event in a shopping centre at Parramatta in western Sydney on December 23. A crowd of around 100 people gathered underneath a bunch of balloons that contained free gifts, which were due to drop to kick off a 33-hour non-stop shop ahead of Christmas. However, video of the event shows the crowd collapsing as soon as the balloons drop. Several people are knocked over, including a man dressed as Santa.

• Video shows mayhem during balloon drop at Australian shopping mall