A Christmas retail shopping marathon has ended in tears and 'traumatic' injuries, with several people hospitalised after a giveaway led to a crowd crush at a Westfield shopping centre in Sydney.
In the "stampede" to grab a balloon, participants toppled a makeshift barrier and fell on each other.
"As we go into the busy holiday period and many of our shopping centres become crowded with people, we urge the community to be patient and ensure the safety of themselves and those around them," he said. "Our team acted swiftly to support our customers, contact emergency services and make the area safe," the spokeswoman said.On its website, Westfield Parramatta said the balloon drop was to "keep the party going throughout the night".
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