Attendees at a birthday party in Uzbekistan were left screaming and scrambling for cover after a cluster of hydrogen-filled balloons exploded in their faces.
Viral footage showed birthday girl Nozza Usmanova dancing in the doorway of a store in Bukhara as friends presented her with a cake, a multicoloured bunch of balloons, and a large sparkler candle.
Within seconds, the hot sparkler candle was seen igniting the hydrogen-filled balloons, triggering a massive mid-air fireball that stunned Usmanova and several guests.
The blast lasted only a moment, with Usmanova narrowly dodging flames to the face while somehow managing to keep hold of her cake.
Nozza Usmanova was presented with inflatable balloons and sparklers candles at her birthday party in Bukhara, Uzbekistan
The video also showed a mother clutching a baby as she ran for safety, while another panicked partygoer was seen fleeing outside towards the road and frantically fanning flames from her headscarf.
鈥淚t happened so fast. I鈥檓 not sure how I managed to escape,鈥 Usmanova told local media, according to the Daily Mail.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a relief that nobody was hurt and there was no damage.鈥
Footage obtained by TMZ showed fragments of burst balloons scattered across the foyer floor as shaken guests checked on each other and embraced.
Nozza Usmanova managed to keep a steady hand on her birthday cake despite balloons exploding in her face.
Hydrogen is a highly flammable gas sometimes used in party balloons because it makes them float, but it poses a potential fire risk due to its low ignition energy when exposed to sparks or flames.
Last year, a Vietnamese woman suffered first- and second-degree burns to her face after hydrogen balloons exploded at her birthday party when they came into contact with lit candles.
Giang Pham was hospitalised with injuries that left her eyelids burned.
鈥淚 hope that through my accident, people will understand and be more careful when using balloons, not letting themselves fall into dangerous situations or have unnecessary accidents,鈥 she said.
In a separate incident, a 7-year-old boy suffered burns to his arm after a hydrogen-filled balloon he was playing with exploded.
His mother, Tina, said the blast 鈥渟hook the house鈥 and she warned other parents against using the 鈥渢icking time bombs鈥 at their children鈥檚 birthday parties.
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