YEREVAN. – In response to Armenian News-NEWS.am’s question, the ruling coalition’s senior member Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Campaign Headquarters Chief Hovik Abrahamyan commented on not stopping Friday’s RPA rally at capital Yerevan’s Republic Square. 

“Terminating the event would have been a genuine imprudence; I would say a crime. We consulted with Police authorities and experts seconds after the incident, and they were unequivocally maintaining that terminating the event at that moment could result in more serious dangers.    

Even if a panic would not have occurred, a serious traffic jam would have taken place and the ambulances would have been unable to properly transfer the injured to the medical facilities; they [that is, the injured] would not have been administered the necessary and timely [medical] assistance, which was administered at a virtually perfect level.  

They had asked us to keep the crowd at the Square for at least forty minutes, [in order for them] to organize the transfer of the injured—until the last injured was taken to hospital—, which we did. Afterward, our entire team, led by Armenia’s President [and RPA Chairman Serzh Sargsyan] separately visited Yerevan hospitals,” Hovik Abrahamyan commented.         

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, a tragedy occurred during the RPA’s rally held at the Square on Friday. Hundreds of balloons filled with helium gas exploded and started to burn. Subsequently, these balloons’ melted rubber fell on the rally participants. Those near the stage were affected the most, and a total of 154 people were injured.