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Fox News
13 minutes ago
- General
- Fox News
Fiery hot-air balloon tragedy kills at least 8 people: 'We are in mourning'
A hot-air balloon carrying 21 people in Brazil caught fire Saturday morning and crashed, killing at least eight people, Santa Catarina's military fire brigade said. The crash happened in Santa Catarina, a state in Brazil's south, after the fire started in the basket, forcing the pilot to attempt to land, officials said. Video shared on social media shows black smoke billowing over the deflated balloon as it hurtles toward the ground in a wooded area near the town of Praia Grande, which is popular for hot-air ballooning. The 13 survivors, including the pilot, were taken to hospitals with unknown injuries. The survivors managed to live by jumping out of the balloon when the fire first began, officials said. The balloon at first began to rise again once some of the passengers had jumped out. "These people ended up dying — four charred, and another four jumped out of the balloon when it was falling," Lt. Col. Zevir Cipriano Jr. said. "We are in mourning," Santa Catarina Gov. Jorginho Mello said in a video on X. "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." He added that he's asked authorities "to do as much as possible" to help the victims and their families. Three of the victims died hugging each other, Santa Catarina's civil police force Chief Ulisses Gabriel said on social media. "It hurts the soul," he said. Costing $100 per person, the ride was expected to be 45 minutes long and reach 3,280 feet. It's not clear what height the balloon was at when it started to fall. "Despite all necessary precautions and the efforts of our pilot — who has extensive experience and followed all recommended procedures in an attempt to save everyone on board the balloon — we are suffering from the pain caused by this tragedy," the hot-air balloon company Sobrevoar said in a statement. Sobrevoar added that it had followed all regulations for the ride and had a clear record previously. It is now suspending its operations indefinitely. Around 25 to 30 hot-air balloon trips leave daily from the area, the government said. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his solidarity with the victims' families and said the federal government was available to help with the investigation. Last Sunday, another hot-air balloon crashed in Brazil's state of São Paulo, killing one woman and injuring 11 others.
ABC News
20 minutes ago
- General
- ABC News
Hot air balloon catches fire and crashes in southern Brazil, killing eight
Eight people have died after a hot air balloon carrying 21 passengers caught fire and fell from the sky in southern Brazil, state officials say. The incident on Saturday was the second fatal balloon incident in the South American nation in less than a week. Firefighters in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina said 13 people survived and were taken to hospitals. Videos taken by bystanders and aired on Brazilian television showed the moment when the balloon erupted in flames above a rural area outside the Atlantic coast town of Praia Grande, a tourist hotspot popular for hot air ballooning. The basket carrying the passengers plummeted dozens of metres to the ground in flames. Other images showed some of the passengers jumping. Officials at Our Lady of Fatima hospital said three of the five survivors treated there were in stable condition with minor injuries, and two had already been discharged. Information about the other survivors was not immediately available. An investigation was launched to determine the cause of the accident. Weather conditions were clear at the time. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he was placing the federal government at the disposal of victims and local authorities. "I want to express my solidarity with the families of the victims," he said. The crash happened at about 8am local time (9pm AEST), said Lieutenant Colonel Zevir Cipriano Jr, a military firefighter. The balloon pilot told officials the fire was sparked by a blowtorch — used to ignite the balloon's main flame — in the basket, Tiago Luiz Lemos, a police official in Praia Grande, told local media. The pilot tried to bring the balloon down as soon as the fire erupted, "and once it was close to the ground, he told the passengers to jump from the basket. But some of them couldn't do it and the fire grew," the official said. Four people were burned to death and four others died from injuries sustained in the fall, Lieutenant Colonel Cipriano Junior told reporters. One witness told a local newspaper that he saw "two people falling, they were on fire, the basket broke off and the balloon fell". Three people died hugging each other, said Ulisses Gabriel, chief of Santa Catarina's civil police force, on X. Praia Grande is a common destination for hot air ballooning, a popular activity in parts of southern Brazil. The area is famous for its dramatic canyon landscapes and is known as the "Brazilian Cappadocia", a reference to a region in central Turkey famed worldwide for stunning hot air balloon rides. Last Sunday, a balloon came down in Sao Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 other people, according to local media. AFP/AP
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Eight dead in Brazil hot air balloon accident
SAO PAULO: At least eight people were killed Saturday (Jun 21) when a hot air balloon with 21 passengers caught fire in southern Brazil, said the governor of Santa Catarina state, where the incident occurred. "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 weather conditions were clear. The basket carrying the passengers plummeted dozens of meters to the ground in flames. "We still have no information" about the condition of the survivors, a spokeswoman for Santa Catarina firefighters told AFP. Praia Grande, on the Atlantic coast, is a popular destination for hot-air ballooning in Brazil. The survivors were being treated in area hospitals, firefighters said. An investigation was launched to determine the cause of the accident. "I want to express my solidarity with the families of the victims," Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in a statement. The pilot told officials that the fire was sparked by a blowtorch in the basket, Tiago Luiz Lemos, a police official in Praia Grande, told local media. The pilot tried to bring the balloon down as soon as the fire erupted, "and once it was close to the ground, he told the passengers to jump from the basket. But some of them couldn't do it and the fire grew," the official said. One witness told the Razao newspaper that he saw "two people falling, they were on fire, the basket broke off and the balloon fell". It was the second fatal balloon accident in the country in just a few days. Less than a week ago, a woman died during a ride in southeastern Sao Paulo state.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- General
- 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.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
8 Dead, 13 Injured After Hot Air Balloon Crash in Brazil
Originally appeared on E! Online The people of Brazil are mourning a terrible tragedy. A hot air balloon crashed June 21 in the municipality of Praia Grande, Brazil, leaving eight people dead and 13 more injured, according to a news release from the Government of Santa Catarina. The balloon, which was carrying 21 people including the pilot, per the release, crash landed near a health center. No one is believed to be missing. Following the fatal incident, Santa Catarina Governor Jorginho Mello—who was on an official trip to China at the time of the crash—sent his condolences to the victims and their families while emphasizing his commitment to investigating the matter. 'We are in mourning,' Mello said in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) June 21, translated from Portuguese. '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.' More from E! Online Food Network's Duff Goldman Details Last Conversation With Anne Burrell Tom Sandoval's America's Got Talent Audition Leaves Judges in Shock Matthew McConaughey's 3 Kids Are His Spitting Images in Rare Family Photo The 13 survivors were evaluated by firefighters and taken to nearby hospitals, according to a press release from the Santa Catarina Military Fire Department. Meanwhile, officials offered a preliminary account of how the crash occurred. 'According to the pilot, who is one of the survivors, a flame started inside the basket and then he began to lower the balloon,' Praia Grande head police officer Tiago Luiz Lemos told Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, translated from Portuguese. 'When the balloon was very close to the ground, he ordered people to jump out of the basket.' 'Some were unable to jump,' he continued. 'The fire grew and the balloon ended up falling.' While local authorities tend to the matter, Brazilian Prime Minister Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also offered additional resources if necessary. '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,' he wrote in a post on X translated from Portuguese. '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.' For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
