A hot air balloon carrying 34 people crash-landed in a meadow in northern Netherlands’ Friesland region on Wednesday evening, killing one person and injuring five others, Dutch News reported. According to local authorities, the crashed balloon started falling at around 9 pm near the village of De Hoeve, roughly 15 kilometers southeast of Heerenveen.
Friesland officials told local media that one person died at the scene, while five others were left injured, with at least three of them with serious injuries taken to nearby hospitals.
Gusts Blamed for Violent Landing
According to the report, fire and rescue teams rushed to the site after the balloon — believed to be from the fleet of the largest operator in the Netherlands — was caught in unexpected gusty conditions during its descent.
“The balloon bounced several times, causing people to fall out of the basket. They were severely injured and had to be treated by us and taken to hospital,” Jan Willem Zwart of the fire and rescue services told the country’s public broadcaster Omrop Fryslan.
“You can imagine what a huge panic it was with 34 people in a small basket that came bouncing down on the ground,” Zwart added.
Emergency Response and Investigation
According to emergency services officials, 14 ambulances, fire crews and a Red Cross disaster team were rushed to the site of the incident to carry out rescue and relief operations.
Local media reports suggest that the balloon had started its flight from Joure, and was being operated by a pilot and co-pilot.
Weather conditions on the day had prompted warnings for balloon flights, Dutch News report said.
While the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute had predicted wind speeds of up to 14 knots, Omrop Fryslan later reported that gusts near the ground had reached 17 knots, which experts say could have contributed to the fatal crash.
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