Caught on camera: Hot air balloon catches fire, crashes in Brazil, at least 8 killed
At least eight people were killed and 13 injured after a hot-air balloon caught fire and crashed in Brazil on Saturday. The balloon was carrying 21 people and caught fire in southern Brazil, said the governor of Santa Catarina state, where the incident occurred, an AFP report said.
"Eight fatalities and 13 survivors," Governor Jorginho Mello said on X.
Videos taken by bystanders and carried on Brazilian television showed the moment when the balloon erupted in flames above the coastal town of Praia Grande.
The tourism balloon caught fire during the flight in early morning hours, crashing in the city of Praia Grande, according to the state fire department. The basket carrying the passengers plummeted dozens of meters to the ground in flames.
Thirteen survivors were transported to nearby hospitals, according to the fire department, a Reuters report said.
An investigation was launched to determine the cause of the accident, another news agency AFP reported.
'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. Mello said in a video on X.
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.'
Last Sunday, a balloon fell in Sao Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 others, G1 reported.
Praia Grande is a common destination for hot-air ballooning, a popular activity in some parts of Brazil's south during June festivities that celebrate Catholic saints such as Saint John.
A hot air balloon crashed in central Turkiye on June 15, leaving its pilot dead and 19 Indonesian tourists injured, a local official said.
State-run Anadolu Agency said another hot air balloon taking off from the same location of Ilhara Valley also made a hard landing early Sunday morning, and that 12 Indian tourists were slightly injured and taken to hospital.
In a statement, the governor's office said the balloons were affected by a sudden change of wind.
In the first incident, the balloon was trying to make a hard landing near the village of Gozlukuyu in Aksaray province, when the pilot fell out of the balloon's basket and his feet got tangled in a rope, Aksaray Governor Mehmet Ali Kumbuzoglu said.
'Unfortunately, our pilot got stuck under the basket and died,' he said, adding that the injured tourists were taken to a hospital.
Video from Ilhas News Agency showed one deflated balloon, its passenger basket lying on its side, as emergency services tended to injured people. An investigation is underway.
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