Hot-air balloon crashes in Brazil, at least 8 killed
The state governor of Santa Carina in Brazil has stated that a search and rescue operation is underway for the other 12 passengers on the hot-air balloon
The governor of Santa Carina in Brazil confirmed on Saturday that at least eight people had died after a hot-air balloon with approximately 21 passengers crashed in the state.
In a post on X, Jorginho Mello said, “We are in mourning. A tragedy has happened. We will see how it unfolds, what happened, why it happened. But the important thing now is for the state structure to do what it can."
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Mello said he has asked authorities to head to the municipality “to do as much as possible to rescue, to help, to take to hospital, to comfort the families.”
Thirteen people survived, according to a latest update from Associated Press, and were taken to hospitals, Santa Catarina's military fire brigade said. adding that 21 people were on board including the pilot.
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Earlier in the day, the governor said in a post on X, “We are all shocked by the accident involving a balloon in Praia Grande, this Saturday morning. Our rescue team is already on site. Preliminary information indicates that there were 22 people on board. So far, we have confirmed 8 deaths and 2 survivors rescued alive. The teams continue to search for the others.”
A video posted to social media shows the hot air balloon catch fire while in the sky. The balloon then deflated and fell to to the ground, with the basket carrying the passengers plummeting several meters.
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Praia Grande, on the Atlantic coast, is a popular destination for hot-air ballooning in Brazil. This marks the second fatal balloon accident in the country in just a few days. Less than a week ago, a 27-year-old woman died during a ride in southeastern Sao Paulo state. 11 people were injured in the incident.
“According to the pilot, who is one of the survivors, a fire started inside the basket and then he began to lower the balloon. When the balloon was very close to the ground, he ordered people to jump out of the basket,” Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper quoted Praia Grande head police officer Tiago Luiz Lemos as saying.
"Some of them didn’t manage to jump. The fire increased and the balloon ended up falling,” Lemos added.
