Hot air balloon bursts into flames and plummets to ground with 7 people injured

17 June 2023 , 12:46
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Pictures from the scene showed the balloon and its basket unrecognisable (Image: Kapo ZG)
Pictures from the scene showed the balloon and its basket unrecognisable (Image: Kapo ZG)

Seven people have been rushed to hospital after a hot air balloon crashed and burst into flames in Switzerland.

The hot air balloon reportedly caught fire shortly after take-off and plummeted to the ground in Hünenberg on Saturday morning.

Four women and three men between the ages of 28 and 64 were in the basket at the time of the terrifying incident, police said.

All seven have been taken to hospital, with two of the women and one man seriously injured, while the other four suffered minor injuries.

Pictures from the scene showed the balloon and its basket unrecognisable as it pancaked on the ground into a pile of ash.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him qeituikxidqeinvBaby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
Hot air balloon bursts into flames and plummets to ground with 7 people injuredFour women and three men between the ages of 28 and 64 were in the basket at the time (Kapo ZG)

Thick black smoke was seen billowing into the sky from the fiery wreckage which has singed the grass.

The incident happened in the Mattenboden area in the municipality of Hünenberg.

Local media says the Hünenberg fire brigade quickly secured the site of the fire and that the cause of the accident is unclear and is now under investigation by the Swiss Safety Investigation Board SUST.

The federal prosecutor has also been informed.

In April, two people died and a child was been badly injured after a hot air balloon burst into flames near Mexico City.

Horrifying footage shows the moment flames rip through the basket as the hot air balloon soars higher and higher in the sky.

A 50-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman were identified as those who perished, while the young girl suffered second-degree burns and a broken arm.

And in October, two Spanish tourists tragically died in Turkey after the hot air balloon they were travelling in made a hard landing.

Hot air balloon accidents are rare, causing fewer than 30 fatalities worldwide between 2008 and 2022.

Rachel Hagan

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