Dozens injured at BlackBerry Bold 9790 launch event in Indonesia

As dozens of people were injured, some lost consciousness at the scene, and at least three people were taken to the hospital with broken bones. All of this happens as Indonesia was chosen to be the first country to get the BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone, and organizers organize a special event at the Pacific Place shopping mall in South Jakarta to commemorate the event in which the phones were sold for Rp 2.3 million ($260) or 50% than the normal retail price of Rp 4.6 million.

The queue started forming as early as 4 p.m. the previous day and had grown to well over a thousand people by the time the event was about to start. Those who came early enough to qualify for the 50% discount were given a red bracelet from management before they could purchase a phone. However, rumors began circulating on Friday morning that the BlackBerry Bold 9790 had already sold out, which caused impatience and frustration to the BlackBerry fans to break the protective barrier.

As a result, Ambulances and paramedics were rushed to the site, and up to 200 police and security guards were also deployed to restore order. Eventually, the police closed the event prematurely at 1.30 a.m, and again sparks anger among BlackBerry fans.

More photos of the event: