Five people died on Saturday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after a hot air balloon hit a power line.
Five people died on Saturday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after a hot air balloon hit a power line. (Photo: AP)
Five people died on Saturday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when a hot air balloon hit a power line. Among the deceased are the parents of a prisoner transport officer of the city police as well as a passenger and the pilot.
According to the city police, the basket in which the passengers were detached from the hot air balloon and crashed. On Twitter, witnesses described how the deflated hot air balloon sinks to the ground.
Video of the hot air balloon crash in Albuquerque this morning by Brandon Banes. So far, four people are dead and one seriously injured. pic.twitter.com/ZpuCz8qI1y
– Grant Tosterud (@granttosterudwx) June 26, 2021
The basket fell about 30 yards and caught fire after crashing on a street while the balloon took off and hit the ground elsewhere, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The street into which the basket fell was cordoned off.
The incident occurred on Saturday just after 7 a.m., police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos was quoted in a BBC report. The crash resulted in a temporary power outage for more than 13,000 households in the area.
ALSO READ: Telugu actress Kathi Mahesh arrives at Nellore Hospital in a traffic accident
When crashing, Gallegos told AP News“Our balloonists are usually experts in navigation, but sometimes we have these kinds of tragic accidents.” He said hot air balloons can be difficult to handle, especially in windy conditions.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the accident. Two investigators were sent to the site on Saturday. They will investigate the pilot, balloon and operating environment, said spokesman Peter Knudson.
There have been 12 fatal hot air balloon accidents in the US since 2008, according to NTSB data.
ALSO READ: Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia announced for relatives of victims of road accident in Gujarat
Click here for IndiaToday.in’s full coverage of the corona pandemic.
एक टिप्पणी भेजें