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Yahoo
5 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hot air balloon incident kills eight in Brazil
At least eight people have died in a hot air balloon accident in southern Brazil, the governor of Santa Catarina state has said. There were 21 people on board the balloon in the city of Praia Grande on Saturday morning, Jorginho Mello posted on X. Thirteen people, including the pilot, survived and no one is missing, the state government press office reported. Brazil's National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) said it was taking "all necessary steps to investigate the condition of the aircraft and the crew". "According to the pilot, who is one of the survivors, a fire started inside the basket, so he started to lower the balloon, and when the balloon was very close to the ground he told people to jump," officer Tiago Luiz Lemos, from the Praia Grande police station, told reporters at the scene. "They started to jump, but some people did not manage to. The flames started to grow and because of the weight, the balloon began to rise again. "It later fell because of a loss of suspension." The victims were two couples, a mother and daughter, an ophthalmologist, and a figure skater. The survivors were taken to nearby hospitals. Balloon tour company Sobrevoar Serviços Turísticos, which operated the flight, has now suspended its activities indefinitely. It said it had complied with all regulations set by Anac and had had no prior history of accidents. "Unfortunately, even with all necessary precautions and the efforts of our experienced pilot - who followed all recommended procedures and tried to save everyone on board - we are now faced with the pain caused by this tragedy," the company added. In a video also posted on X, Mello, who is on an official mission in China, said he had sent "the entire state structure" to "rescue, help and comfort the families" and was continuing to monitor the situation. "We are in mourning, what happened is a tragedy," he added. "We will investigate why this happened. But the important thing now is to do everything possible to reach out to the people and the families." President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva posted on X expressing his "solidarity with the families of the victims". He said he had placed "the federal government at the disposal of the victims" and that "state and municipal forces " were working on the rescue and care of the survivors. Praia Grande, in southern Santa Catarina, is a popular tourist destination known for its ballooning activities. Additional reporting by Danai Nesta Kupemba, Andre Biernath and Sofia Ferreira Santos
The Advertiser
12 hours ago
- General
- The Advertiser
At least killed as hot air balloon crashes in Brazil
At least eight people have been killed after a hot air balloon carrying 21 passengers crashed in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina, local and state officials say. Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon, which was in flames as it hurtled toward the ground in the municipality of Praia Grande. A video on social media shows two people falling through the air as the fire spread onboard the aircraft. Thirteen survivors were transported to nearby hospitals, according to the fire department. Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon in flames as it hurtled towards the ground. The crash happened about 8am Saturday local time, military firefighter Zevir Cipriano said. A fire started in the basket, prompting the pilot to try to land the balloon. Thirteen people, including the pilot, managed to jump out but eight were unable to. Without the weight of the others, the balloon began rising again. "These people ended up dying - four charred and another four jumped out of the balloon when it was falling," Cipriano Jr said. Three people died hugging each other, said Ulisses Gabriel, chief of Santa Catarina's civil police force, on X. "It hurts the soul." "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," Governor Jorginho Mello said in a video on X. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio 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. Mello said he had 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". The balloon's expected flight time was 45 minutes, G1 said, with the balloon reaching 1000 metres and cost 550 reais (about $A150) per passenger. Sobrevoar, the company responsible for the multi-coloured balloon, said it complied with all regulations and had a clean accident record before Saturday. 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. Last Sunday, a balloon fell in Sao Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 others, G1 reported. with AP At least eight people have been killed after a hot air balloon carrying 21 passengers crashed in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina, local and state officials say. Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon, which was in flames as it hurtled toward the ground in the municipality of Praia Grande. A video on social media shows two people falling through the air as the fire spread onboard the aircraft. Thirteen survivors were transported to nearby hospitals, according to the fire department. Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon in flames as it hurtled towards the ground. The crash happened about 8am Saturday local time, military firefighter Zevir Cipriano said. A fire started in the basket, prompting the pilot to try to land the balloon. Thirteen people, including the pilot, managed to jump out but eight were unable to. Without the weight of the others, the balloon began rising again. "These people ended up dying - four charred and another four jumped out of the balloon when it was falling," Cipriano Jr said. Three people died hugging each other, said Ulisses Gabriel, chief of Santa Catarina's civil police force, on X. "It hurts the soul." "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," Governor Jorginho Mello said in a video on X. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio 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. Mello said he had 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". The balloon's expected flight time was 45 minutes, G1 said, with the balloon reaching 1000 metres and cost 550 reais (about $A150) per passenger. Sobrevoar, the company responsible for the multi-coloured balloon, said it complied with all regulations and had a clean accident record before Saturday. 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. Last Sunday, a balloon fell in Sao Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 others, G1 reported. with AP At least eight people have been killed after a hot air balloon carrying 21 passengers crashed in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina, local and state officials say. Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon, which was in flames as it hurtled toward the ground in the municipality of Praia Grande. A video on social media shows two people falling through the air as the fire spread onboard the aircraft. Thirteen survivors were transported to nearby hospitals, according to the fire department. Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon in flames as it hurtled towards the ground. The crash happened about 8am Saturday local time, military firefighter Zevir Cipriano said. A fire started in the basket, prompting the pilot to try to land the balloon. Thirteen people, including the pilot, managed to jump out but eight were unable to. Without the weight of the others, the balloon began rising again. "These people ended up dying - four charred and another four jumped out of the balloon when it was falling," Cipriano Jr said. Three people died hugging each other, said Ulisses Gabriel, chief of Santa Catarina's civil police force, on X. "It hurts the soul." "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," Governor Jorginho Mello said in a video on X. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio 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. Mello said he had 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". The balloon's expected flight time was 45 minutes, G1 said, with the balloon reaching 1000 metres and cost 550 reais (about $A150) per passenger. Sobrevoar, the company responsible for the multi-coloured balloon, said it complied with all regulations and had a clean accident record before Saturday. 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. Last Sunday, a balloon fell in Sao Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 others, G1 reported. with AP At least eight people have been killed after a hot air balloon carrying 21 passengers crashed in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina, local and state officials say. Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon, which was in flames as it hurtled toward the ground in the municipality of Praia Grande. A video on social media shows two people falling through the air as the fire spread onboard the aircraft. Thirteen survivors were transported to nearby hospitals, according to the fire department. Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon in flames as it hurtled towards the ground. The crash happened about 8am Saturday local time, military firefighter Zevir Cipriano said. A fire started in the basket, prompting the pilot to try to land the balloon. Thirteen people, including the pilot, managed to jump out but eight were unable to. Without the weight of the others, the balloon began rising again. "These people ended up dying - four charred and another four jumped out of the balloon when it was falling," Cipriano Jr said. Three people died hugging each other, said Ulisses Gabriel, chief of Santa Catarina's civil police force, on X. "It hurts the soul." "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," Governor Jorginho Mello said in a video on X. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio 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. Mello said he had 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". The balloon's expected flight time was 45 minutes, G1 said, with the balloon reaching 1000 metres and cost 550 reais (about $A150) per passenger. Sobrevoar, the company responsible for the multi-coloured balloon, said it complied with all regulations and had a clean accident record before Saturday. 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. Last Sunday, a balloon fell in Sao Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 others, G1 reported. with AP
