VIDEO: Shoppers injured after Christmas balloon-drop in Sydney mall goes horribly wrong

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.

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.

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.