A hot air balloon crash in Praia Grande, Brazil, reportedly killed at least eight people and left 13 others injured after a fire broke out mid-flight, prompting emergency jumps. (Image courtesy: X/@RT_com)
At least eight individuals lost their lives and 13 others, including the pilot, escaped unharmed after a hot air balloon crashed in the Praia Grande region of Brazil’s southern Santa Catarina, the BBC reported on Saturday. There were 21 people on board at the time of the incident early morning, according to Santa Catarina Governor Jorginho Mello, who made the announcement in a post on X.
Officer Tiago Luiz Lemos from Praia Grande police told the British broadcaster, “According to the pilot, one of the survivors, a fire broke out within the basket, so he began lowering the balloon, and when the balloon was practically on the ground, he ordered people to jump.”
“They began jumping, but some did not make it. The fire began to increase, and due to the heaviness, the balloon began to go up again,” the BBC quoted Lemos as saying. “It subsequently fell due to suspension loss.”
The balloon subsequently crashed close to a nearby health centre, the report said, adding that the authorities confirmed that nobody is missing and all the survivors were evacuated to local hospitals.
Governor Mello, who is on an official visit to China, further said in another video post on X, “We are in mourning; what happened is a tragedy… 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,” as reported by the UK-based publication.
Mello added that he had sent “the whole state structure” to help with rescue, aid and family contact.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed sympathy and vowed the support of the federal government to victims of the tragedy. Lula announced on social media that he had put “the federal government at the disposal of the victims” and assured that “state and municipal forces” are available to look after survivors.
Praia Grande is a picturesque site for hot air ballooning.
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