SYDNEY (KGO) -- A Christmas giveaway event in a mall in Australia turned out to be a complete nightmare.
More than a dozen shoppers were injured, some of them seriously, in the shopping center at Parramatta in western Sydney on December 23.
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It all started when a crowd of about 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, and can be heard screaming.
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People fall like dominoes into the Christmas village setup, which also falls over.
Five people had to be taken to hospital and 12 were treated at the shopping center, a NSW ambulance spokesperson told News.com.au.