Desperate final moments revealed of Brazil hot-air balloon plummet that killed at least eight - as pilot urged people to jump before leaping out himself and surviving
The pilot of the hot-air balloon that caught fire mid-air in southern Brazil today urged passengers to jump before the vessel crashed to the ground and killed eight, it has been revealed.
Chief of police of the Santa Catarina state, Ulisses Gabriel, revealed that the wind was 'quite strong' and that several people had to hold the balloon when it first took off.
'There was a truck pulling the balloon with a cable, which was moving very intensely from side to side,' he told Brazilian broadcaster Globo News.
Mr Gabriel added that it is possible gas leaked up due to the intense movement, ultimately causing the tarpaulin to burn.
'Despite it being flame-retardant, there was an intense fire. The balloon went up and, after a while, ended up coming down, and that was when 13 people, including the pilot, managed to get out'.
But the balloon quickly rose back into the sky, with some passengers still on board.
That is when 'people started to get desperate', Mr Gabriel explained, adding how 'some ended up jumping out of the basket. Those who stayed ended up dying from burns'.
The devastating crash happened in the Praia Grande region, which is a popular destination for hot-air ballooning.
The horrifying crash (pictured) happened today in the country's southern state of Santa Catarina, in its Praia Grande region - a well-known hot air ballooning location
Thirteen out of the 21 passengers on board survived, including the pilot.
Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon in flames as it hurled toward the ground.
In a separate video circulating on social media, two people can be seen falling through the air as the fire spreads onboard the aircraft.
The cause of the accident is still being investigated and rescue teams are on the ground searching for those not accounted for, but Mr Gabriel also said the main hypotheses are currently adverse weather conditions or human error.
According to Brazilian outlet Jornal Razao, the pilot believes that the fire reportedly started in a back-up burner stored in the basket.
He explained: 'I don't know if it stayed lit or if it reignited on its own, but it was the torch that started it all.'
After noticing the flames, he immediately tried to lower the balloon, ordering passengers to jump when the craft got close to the ground.
Residents said around 30 balloons were flying in the region on the morning of the accident, with the one that crashed one of the last to take off
News outlet G1 reported that the balloon's expected flight time was 45 minutes, with the balloon reaching over 3000ft.
One witness told Jornal Razao earlier today: 'We saw two people fall on fire. After the basket broke, the balloon fell completely.'
Another added: When we arrived, there were two people alive, a woman covered in mud, in shock, and a man limping.
'In the pasture, there were two bodies near the horses. The balloon was deeper in the forest, on fire.
'The firefighters asked us to move the cars because it could explode, because of the gas.'
One other commented: 'They said it was not even a day to fly.
'Before it fell, it caught fire up high. Two women jumped out and fell onto the rocks on the other side of the city.'
Residents said around 30 balloons were flying in the region on the morning of the accident, with the one that crashed one of the last to take off.
The coastal Praia Grande area where the shocking accident happened is well-known as a hot air ballooning destination, Brazilian news website G1 reports.
The spot in the extreme south of the Santa Catarina state is often referred to Brazilian Cappadocia, for its similarities to the famous tourist ballooning region in Turkey.
The state fire department said in a previous statement: 'The Santa Catarina Military Fire Department (CBMSC) is currently responding to a balloon crash in the municipality of Praia Grande, in the south of the state, which occurred on the morning of Saturday, June 21.
'The corporation confirms four deaths at the scene and the other victims are being treated, searched for and evaluated by our teams.'
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also expressed solidarity with the families and victims of the tragedy.
'I would like to express my solidarity with the families of the victims of the balloon accident that occurred this Saturday morning in Santa Catarina. And I would like to place the Federal Government at the disposal of the victims and the state and municipal forces that are working on the rescue and care for the survivors.'
It comes less than a week after a woman died during a hot air balloon ride in the Brazilian city of São Paulo.
Juliana Alves Prado Pereira, 27, a psychologist from the Pouso Alegre region of Brazil's Minas Gerais state, was on a trip there with her husband Leandro de Aquino Pereira.
More than 30 people were onboard the hot air balloon - and 11 of them were injured.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Indian astrologer 'who forecast Air India plane crash' posts new message after Brazil hot-air balloon tragedy
An Indian astrologer who claims to have predicted the Air India plane crash has now spoken about the Brazilian hot-air balloon tragedy that killed eight on Saturday. The astrologer, who goes by the name Astro Sharmistha on social media, tweeted earlier this year that 'air accidents will be more in numbers' until June. Following the devastating hot-air balloon accident today, which saw the vessel catch fire mid-air, the internet astrologer wrote in a cryptic tweet: '2025 will be labelled as the year [of] air mishaps in the history of aviation. 8 were dead today in [a] hot-air balloon accident in Brazil. Praying for the safety of mankind.' In a separate tweet, she wrote: 'Saying all [of this] since long but no one cared to hear it'. Her social media posts today sparked dozens of reactions from her followers. One concerned follower asked in the comments: 'Have to travel abroad abroad between 7th and 12th October. Should I travel?'. 'Very tragic. Prayers for the departed souls and safety for all', another user commented. 'May God give strength to the families and protect everyone', a third wrote. The astrologer's prediction comes after a hot-air balloon caught fire and tumbled from the sky on Saturday in Brazil 's southern state of Santa Catarina. Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon in flames as it hurtled toward the ground in the municipality of Praia Grande. On a video on social media, two people can be seen falling through the air as the fire spread onboard the aircraft. Thirteen people survived and were taken to hospitals, Santa Catarina's military fire brigade said, adding that 21 people were on board including the pilot. '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,' Gov. Jorginho Mello said in a video on X. Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his solidarity with victims' families and said he was placing the federal government at the disposal of victims and local authorities. '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. Last year, the astrologer had tweeted that in 2025 'plane crash headlines may give us shock.' She reiterated her prediction last week, warning on X: 'I am still holding high the prediction of [a] plane crash and destruction in aviation in 2025.' The tweet, which she posted on June 5, went viral following last week's plane crash in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, leaving hundreds of social media users stunned. '[You] have yet again proved your accuracy...I'm just left speechless by [your] prediction for a plane crash...', one X account wrote. Another commented: 'How can your prediction be so accurate always?'. Her shocking prediction began trending on social media just hours after the Air India flight bound for London Gatwick crashed and exploded into a fireball, killing at least 270 people, including 241 passengers and crew. The Boeing was not much more than 400ft above ground when the two experienced pilots onboard apparently lost power in both engines. The astrologer's shocking prediction began trending on social media just hours after the Air India flight bound for London Gatwick crashed and exploded into a fireball They then had 17 agonising seconds to wrestle with the controls before their plane smashed into a medical college packed with doctors, sending a fireball soaring into the sky. Experts from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are probing the crash with assistance from the UK, the US and officials from Boeing. The Indian government has set up a separate, high-level committee to examine the causes leading to the crash and formulate procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future. The committee is expected to file a preliminary report within three months. Authorities have also begun inspecting and carrying out additional maintenance and checks of Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners to prevent any future incident. Air India has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet. There were 53 British nationals on board Flight AI171 when it crashed into a residential area near the airport, as well as 159 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese citizens and a Canadian.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Desperate final moments revealed of Brazil hot-air balloon plummet that killed at least eight - as pilot urged people to jump before leaping out himself and surviving
The pilot of the hot-air balloon that caught fire mid-air in southern Brazil today urged passengers to jump before the vessel crashed to the ground and killed eight, it has been revealed. Chief of police of the Santa Catarina state, Ulisses Gabriel, revealed that the wind was 'quite strong' and that several people had to hold the balloon when it first took off. 'There was a truck pulling the balloon with a cable, which was moving very intensely from side to side,' he told Brazilian broadcaster Globo News. Mr Gabriel added that it is possible gas leaked up due to the intense movement, ultimately causing the tarpaulin to burn. 'Despite it being flame-retardant, there was an intense fire. The balloon went up and, after a while, ended up coming down, and that was when 13 people, including the pilot, managed to get out'. But the balloon quickly rose back into the sky, with some passengers still on board. That is when 'people started to get desperate', Mr Gabriel explained, adding how 'some ended up jumping out of the basket. Those who stayed ended up dying from burns'. The devastating crash happened in the Praia Grande region, which is a popular destination for hot-air ballooning. The horrifying crash (pictured) happened today in the country's southern state of Santa Catarina, in its Praia Grande region - a well-known hot air ballooning location Thirteen out of the 21 passengers on board survived, including the pilot. Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon in flames as it hurled toward the ground. In a separate video circulating on social media, two people can be seen falling through the air as the fire spreads onboard the aircraft. The cause of the accident is still being investigated and rescue teams are on the ground searching for those not accounted for, but Mr Gabriel also said the main hypotheses are currently adverse weather conditions or human error. According to Brazilian outlet Jornal Razao, the pilot believes that the fire reportedly started in a back-up burner stored in the basket. He explained: 'I don't know if it stayed lit or if it reignited on its own, but it was the torch that started it all.' After noticing the flames, he immediately tried to lower the balloon, ordering passengers to jump when the craft got close to the ground. Residents said around 30 balloons were flying in the region on the morning of the accident, with the one that crashed one of the last to take off News outlet G1 reported that the balloon's expected flight time was 45 minutes, with the balloon reaching over 3000ft. One witness told Jornal Razao earlier today: 'We saw two people fall on fire. After the basket broke, the balloon fell completely.' Another added: When we arrived, there were two people alive, a woman covered in mud, in shock, and a man limping. 'In the pasture, there were two bodies near the horses. The balloon was deeper in the forest, on fire. 'The firefighters asked us to move the cars because it could explode, because of the gas.' One other commented: 'They said it was not even a day to fly. 'Before it fell, it caught fire up high. Two women jumped out and fell onto the rocks on the other side of the city.' Residents said around 30 balloons were flying in the region on the morning of the accident, with the one that crashed one of the last to take off. The coastal Praia Grande area where the shocking accident happened is well-known as a hot air ballooning destination, Brazilian news website G1 reports. The spot in the extreme south of the Santa Catarina state is often referred to Brazilian Cappadocia, for its similarities to the famous tourist ballooning region in Turkey. The state fire department said in a previous statement: 'The Santa Catarina Military Fire Department (CBMSC) is currently responding to a balloon crash in the municipality of Praia Grande, in the south of the state, which occurred on the morning of Saturday, June 21. 'The corporation confirms four deaths at the scene and the other victims are being treated, searched for and evaluated by our teams.' Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also expressed solidarity with the families and victims of the tragedy. 'I would like to express my solidarity with the families of the victims of the balloon accident that occurred this Saturday morning in Santa Catarina. And I would like to place the Federal Government at the disposal of the victims and the state and municipal forces that are working on the rescue and care for the survivors.' It comes less than a week after a woman died during a hot air balloon ride in the Brazilian city of São Paulo. Juliana Alves Prado Pereira, 27, a psychologist from the Pouso Alegre region of Brazil's Minas Gerais state, was on a trip there with her husband Leandro de Aquino Pereira. More than 30 people were onboard the hot air balloon - and 11 of them were injured.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Hot air balloon horror as at least eight people killed in Brazil
A hot air balloon caught fire and crashed in Santa Catarina, Brazil, on Saturday. The incident resulted in the deaths of eight people. Thirteen of the 21 people on board, including the pilot, survived and were taken to hospitals. Footage captured the balloon engulfed in flames as it fell from the sky. This crash follows another fatal hot air balloon accident last Sunday in Sao Paulo state.
