In the early hours of New Year's Day on Jan 1, 2024, chaos erupted on the famed Jianghan Road pedestrian street in Wuhan, Hubei, as tens of thousands gathered to celebrate the arrival of the new year with a massive balloon release. The festivities took an unexpected turn when hydrogen balloons made contact with high-voltage lines, resulting in two explosive incidents.

Video footage from the scene reveals a sea of revelers crowding Jianghan Road, predominantly young faces, as the clock struck midnight and balloons filled the sky with a riot of colors. Suddenly, a flash of fire followed by two loud explosions disrupted the celebratory atmosphere, prompting gasps from the crowd.

Mr. Feng, an eyewitness, recounted the moment: "We heard the first explosion, and at the other end of the street, there was fire and a large plume of smoke. Then another bang. We initially thought it was fireworks, but later learned that the balloons had hit the high-voltage wires. The houses on both sides, which were lit up, experienced an instant blackout. The crowd gathered and looked over, creating a commotion, but thankfully, there was no stampede."

Responding to the incident, local power company customer service stated that there was a scheduled power outage for maintenance on Jianghan Road early that morning, which has since been rectified.

A spokesperson from the Jianghan District Fire Rescue Brigade reassured, "Fortunately, there are no records of emergency responses. Jianghan Road had traffic restrictions in place that day, and relevant authorities had made it clear that no events were permitted on the road. This balloon release was a spontaneous act by the public."

1月1日凌晨，湖北武汉江汉路步行街。跨年时刻到来，上万人集体放飞大量气球，有氢气球触碰高压线引起两次爆燃。
现场视频显示：过跨年夜的人群挤满了整个江汉路，多是青年男女的年轻面孔。零点气球被放飞时漫天五彩缤纷，突然火光闪现，紧接着砰砰两声，人群中有惊呼声。
据目击者冯先生介绍：“当时听到第一声爆炸声，街头的另一头有火光，还有大团的烟气，紧接着又是一声。还以为是放烟花，后来才知道是气球撞到高压电线了。两边亮着灯的房子，瞬间就跳闸了。人群当时一阵拥挤，都往那边看过去，拥挤是有的，最终没有发生踩踏。”
对于这起事件，当地电力部门客服人员回应称，今天凌晨，江汉路是有个故障检修停电，但已经修好了。
江汉区消防救援大队一名工作人员表示：“还好还好，没有出警记录。江汉路当天都在限行，而且相关部门也说了，江汉路不允许办活动的，这个行为是群众自发的。”