12 hours ago
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.
