It was a dark Christmas for Kalyan’s Arya Gurukul school. The celebrations on Christmas Eve ended tragically after a balloon seller’s helium cylinder burst inside the premises, leaving him dead and 13 others injured, including five children.

A report in this paper yesterday stated that the balloon seller had entered the school to sell balloons to families as they were leaving. The explosion was so intense that he was flung from the spot. Panic ensued as, at first, people mistook the noise for a bomb blast. Many had already left after the programme got over, so a bigger crisis was averted. However, there are children still in hospital being treated for burn injuries.