A hot air balloon that crashed in the south of Brazil on Saturday killed at least eight people and wounded 13.
Horrible video appears with the balloon being burn down to the ground as it falls out of the sky- not less painful are the new details revealing what happened to several of the passengers in the last moments of their lives.
A calm hot air balloon flight turned into a nightmare killing people around the city of Praia Grande, a beautiful hot air ballooning resort in southern Brazil. The flight was supposed to be a pleasant flight over the forests and the fields but it turned to a disaster when a fire erupted during flight causing the balloon to crash leaving eight of them dead.
Pilot begs people to jump
The disaster occurred in a balloon that had 21 people on board and was run by Sobrevoar Serviços Turisticos. Survivors and law enforcers claim that a fire inside the basket caused a free fall by the pilot.
A fire broke out in the basket, says the pilot, one of the survivors, and tried to put the balloon back to the ground, Officer Tiago Luiz Lemos told journalists, quoted by BBC. When it was so near the ground, he said to people to jump.
Thirteen of the occupants leaped to safety, the balloon, lighter now by their escape, lifting up into the air and afterward bearing away the other passengers to their fiery death.
The fire began to increase and due to the weight reduction now, the balloon began to ascend again, said Officer Lemos. It subsequently crashed due to the hanging off suspension.
What was the cause of the fire?
It is still unconfirmed why this happened, but preliminary reports indicate it was a backup burner that was kept in the basket. The pilot reported that it could have rekindled by itself.
He reportedly told Jornal Razao, I do not know whether it went on burning or it refueled itself, but it was the torch that led to it all.
Chief of police Ulisses Gabriel went on to state that possibly the intense wind during takeoff was a factor. There was a ground crew to steady the balloon using cables, and at one time a truck was spotted towing the balloon back and forth.
According to Gabriel, he told Globo News that: a truck was pulling the balloon through a cable and there was high intensity. There are chances that this movement led to a gas leak that resulted in the fire.”
The speed of the fire was too high, even though the materials of the balloon were flame-retardant.
Desperate last gasps
The eight victims were made up of two couples, a mother, and a daughter, a figure skater, and an ophthalmologist. Civil police chief Ulisses Gabriel says three were found holding each other as they died.
He posted on X, 2: it cuts the soul.
There were apocalyptic scenes experienced by witnesses. One local told Jornal Razao that we witnessed two individuals dropping onto fire. When the basket broke, the balloon fell altogether.
One other recounted arriving at the crash site: There were two people out of it, one wearing mud, a woman in shock and one man who was limping. Two bodies were close to horses in the pasture. The balloon lay farther in the woods, burning.”
Emergency people came in full force warning the audience not to proceed because of leaked gas and threat of explosions. The rescue operations commenced with smoke emanating out of the wreckage.
G1 reports that the flight on the balloon would last approximately 45 minutes with a vertical height of 1000 meters. The fare was about 550 reais or about 100 dollars per passenger.
National mourning
The governor Jorginho Mello, who is making an official visit to China, announced a mourning period. In a video message, he said: “We are mourning; it is a tragedy.” We will look into the reason why this happened. However what matters at the moment is to connect with the people and families.”
A statement of solidarity was also made by President Luiz InA e Lula da Silva. He said on X: “I subject the federal government to the request of the victims and the state and municipal forces.”
The city hall in Praia Grande also voiced their statement giving support and condolences to the bereaved families.
Inquiry and shutdown of operations
The National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) of Brazil has begun a complete inquiry. The secretary of the public safety in Santa Catarina commented that such results would be announced within 30 days. The pilot and all the survivors are interviewed.
The balloon touring company called Sobrevoar Serviços Turisticos has indefinitely suspended operations. The company said: Even after taking all precautionary measures and even after the efforts of our experienced pilot, we are now left with the sufferings of this tragedy.
China under the microscope ballooning
It is the second deadly hot air balloon accident in Brazil over the past few days. Last week, a 27-year-old women was killed in Sao Paulo and 11 others injured. The episodes have led to renewed questions on the skyrocketing safety regulations.
We are sympathetic with the victims and their families.
