Hot air balloon carrying 21 people caught on fire while traveling through the air meters above the ground in Brazil’s southern state of Santa Catarina, killing eight people. The rest of the passengers, including the pilot, survived and were taken to hospital.
According to Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency, they are 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, BBC reported.
“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.”
Unfortunately, those who didn’t manage to jump out of the hot air balloon lost their lives. Officials stated that three of the victims were found holding each other at the time of their death.
“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.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva extended his condolences to the victims’ families and offered federal support to both the survivors and local officials.
The hot air balloon ride was planned to last 45 minutes and go up to 3,280 feet — the ride cost $100 per person.
Sobrevoar, the company that operated the multicolored balloon, stated in a statement that it followed all regulations and had no prior accidents on record before Saturday.
“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 statement read.
Praia Grande, in southern Santa Catarina, where the accident happened, is a well-known tourist attraction renowned for its striking canyon scenery. It is often called the “Brazilian Cappadocia,” after Turkey’s hot-air ballooning hotspot.
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