Over 140 people were injured on Friday when a large number of party balloons simultaneously exploded at a political campaign concert in the Armenian capital, Yerevan.

The concert was put on by President Serzh Sarkisian's governing Republican party and comes ahead of parliamentary elections on Sunday.

According to the emergencies ministry, 144 people suffered burns when small bunches of the balloons were ignited, sending a fireball into the air and concert-goers running in panic. Just over 100 went to the hospital, but no one suffered serious injuries.

The balloons, which were filled with gas, may have been ignited by a cigarette.

Sunday's poll is widely seen as a test of Armenia's democracy.

mz/msh (Reuters, AFP, AP)