144 people were burned at a political rally in the Armenian capital of Yerevan last Friday when bunches of hydrogen balloons bearing political slogans burst into flames. An Agence France-Presse story without a byline reports:

"The balloons exploded and caught fire after people holding the bunches released them from their hands into the air," a witness told AFP.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosions although police said they were looking into various potential reasons including the "improper storage of flammable substances".

…The promotional balloons were decorated with the governing party's election slogan "Let's believe in change".