Hot air balloon in Brazil catches fire with passengers: 8 dead — including those burned and those who jumped
Three of the victims of a fatal hot air balloon crash in Brazil died holding each other for comfort, local police say.
Horrifying footage shows the moment the balloon caught alight and rapidly deflated before crashing to the ground at around 8am local time on Saturday morning.
There were 21 people on board the balloon floating above the city of Praia Grande, around 670miles (1,081km) south of the capital of Brasília.
Of those on board the balloon, eight people died and 13 others survived, including the pilot.
Praia Grande head police officer Tiago Luiz Lemos told local media that the pilot tried to lower the balloon after a fire started inside the basket.
When the balloon was close to the ground, he told people to jump out – and videos captured at least two passengers falling through the air after leaping from the basket.
Rescue teams at the scene of the hot air balloon crash (Picture: Santa Catarina Fire Department/AFP)
While 13 passengers managed to jump out, the other eight weren’t able to, and without the weight of the others, the balloon started to rise again.
Zevir Cipriano, a military firefighter, explained: ‘These people ended up dying – four charred and another four jumped out of the balloon when it was falling.’
Ulisses Gabriel, chief of Santa Catarina’s civil police force, said three of the victims died while hugging each other, saying it ‘hurts the soul’.
Jorginho Mello, Governor of the Santa Catarina state, said in a statement on X: ‘We are all shocked by the accident.
‘Our teams continue to provide all necessary support to families and victims.
‘We continue to monitor the situation.
‘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.’
The hot air balloon fell to the ground (Picture: Santa Catarina Fire Department/AFP)
He went on to ask for authorities in the state to ‘do as much as possible to rescue, to help, to take to hospital, to comfort the families’.
An investigation into the cause of the fire has begun and the results are due to be made public within 30 days.
The pilot has already given evidence, with statements from other survivors due to be collected.
Praia Grande is a popular destination for hot air ballooning. During the month of June, the activity becomes more common during festivities which celebrate Catholic saints such as Saint John.
It’s been less than a week since another hot air balloon fell in Sao Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 others, local media reported.
Sobrevoar, the company responsible for the multicoloured balloon, said it complied with all regulations and had a clean accident record until today.
It said in a statement: ‘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 company added it has suspended all flights indefinitely.
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