A devastating hot air balloon accident occurred in Praia Grande, Brazil, resulting in the deaths of at least eight people. The incident happened on Saturday morning, with 21 people on board the balloon, including the pilot. Thirteen people survived the crash, which occurred near a health center.
According to Officer Tiago Luiz Lemos from the Praia Grande police station, the pilot, who is one of the survivors, reported that a fire started inside the basket. “According to the pilot… a fire started inside the basket, so he started to lower the balloon, and when the balloon was very close to the ground he told people to jump,” Lemos explained. “They started to jump, but some people did not manage to. The flames started to grow and because of the weight, the balloon began to rise again. It later fell because of a loss of suspension.”
The state government press office confirmed that 13 survivors were taken to nearby hospitals. Fortunately, none of the survivors are reportedly in life-threatening condition. Governor of Santa Catarina Jorginho Mello, who is currently on an official mission in China, expressed his shock and sadness over the incident. “We are all shocked by the accident involving a balloon in Praia Grande, this Saturday morning,” Mello said. “Our rescue team is already on site… So far, we have confirmed eight deaths.”
Mello further added that he had sent “the entire state structure” to “rescue, help and comfort the families” and was continuing to monitor the situation. “We are in mourning, what happened is a tragedy,” he said. “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.”
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his solidarity with the families of the victims, saying he had placed “the federal government at the disposal of the victims” and that “state and municipal forces” were working on the rescue and care of the survivors. The authorities will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident.
Praia Grande is a popular tourist destination known for its ballooning activities, with 25 to 30 hot air balloons departing daily from the area during peak season. Each balloon can transport up to 25 people. The incident is likely to raise concerns about safety measures in place for tourist activities in the region.