Up to 30 girls received burn injuries after a huge cluster of balloons blew up as nearby firecrackers went off during a religious ceremony at a newly-inaugurated temple to Lord Ganesha in Mehsana in Gujarat, India.

The teenagers were standing beside the balloons, which appeared to have been filled with flammable hydrogen rather than the inert helium typically used.

A witness said: “Around 12.45pm, during the pran pratista (installation of the idol) programme, people were releasing helium balloons. A bunch of helium balloons burst when someone lit a firecracker. The heat caused the (plastic surface of) the balloons to stick to the children's hands, leading to burn injuries.”

The incident happened on 18 November.

About 30 girls received burn injuries after a cluster of helium balloons exposed to firecrackers burst during a religious ceremony at a newly-inaugurated Ganesh temple in Gujarat’s Mehsana

Around 30 girl children, aged between 15 and 16 years, received burn injuries after a cluster of helium balloons exposed to firecrackers burst during a religious ceremony at a newly-inaugurated Ganesh temple in Gujarat’s Mehsana.

“Around 12.45 pm, during the pran pratista (installation of the idol) programme, people were releasing helium balloons. A bunch of helium balloons burst when someone lit a small firecracker. The heat led to the balloons to stick to the hands of the children, leading to burn injuries,”