At least eight dead in hot air balloon accident in Brazil

At least eight people have died in a hot air balloon accident in Brazil, a state governor has said. There were 21 people on board the balloon in the city of Praia Grande on Saturday morning, Governor of Santa Catarina Jorginho Mello said in a post on X.Mello said 13 people survived and eight died. Rescue teams are at the site of the incident searching for others, he said. "We are all shocked by the accident," he added.
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The Sun

5 hours ago

• The Sun

I've slept with 400 men to show them how to make love… parents have brought their sons to my £250-an-hour sessions

LYING in the arms of the man I'd just had fantastic sex with, I smiled with satisfaction. Somewhere out there was the next woman he'd sleep with, and she'd never know that, thanks to me, he'd been transformed from a clueless virgin into a skilled lover. But I wasn't in a relationship with this man – I was his sex therapist and surrogate. Over three months, we'd progressed from him starting to get comfortable with physical intimacy, such as hand-holding, hugging and stroking, to more sexual touching. And finally, we'd had sexual intercourse. I've been a sex surrogate for 15 years, and during my career I've supported women with a fear of intimacy, helped a Hollywood actor overcome his sex addiction, and guided couples on how to safely have an open relationship. I don't keep count of the number of clients I've slept with, but it's between 300 and 400. Growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, if you'd told me that one day I'd be teaching people how to enjoy sex, I would never have believed it. As a young woman, I was comfortable with my sexuality, but never questioned what I wanted or needed sexually. I moved to London for university at 21, then married a few years later and had four children. Running a successful events company with my husband, I enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle. But working 18-hour days soon burned me out, and I just wasn't happy. When I was 35, I ended my marriage, leaving my husband and the company, while I moved into a one-bedroom council flat with our children. I'm a sex coach, women always ask what to do if their man won't talk about sex and it's NEVER a good sign I went on to qualify as a masseuse, working with athletes and actors. I enjoyed my job, but wasn't earning enough to give my children the life I wanted for them. So, in 2013, I invested £3,000 in a surrogate partner therapy course, after seeing an ad in a local paper. 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Women came to overcome trauma after giving birth, learn how to orgasm and to conquer their fear of penetration. I also treated people who had difficulties after physical and sexual abuse. THE NAKED ROOM Eventually, I set up my own clinic, The Naked Room. My four adult children and parents know and fully support what I do. They all came to cheer me on when I won Somatic Sexologist of the Year at the Sexual Freedom Awards in 2022. And though some friends were initially sceptical, they soon came round. Before accepting clients, I meet them on Zoom so I can find out why they want to see me and also observe their body language, in order to spot unsuitable people who think they can just turn up and have sex with me. One time, a man was naked. I turned off my camera and told him that's not what I'm here for. Then, once they've completed a consent form and paperwork, my prices start from £250 for a one-hour in-person session, to £1,250 for a day session of five hours. If a client is a virgin, the ultimate aim is for us to have sex. If they're female, I can pass them on to a trusted male sex surrogate when they're ready. Every client has to provide a recent STI test and I always use condoms. I also work with couples, although I don't touch them – I coach them on how to touch each other. I insist on at least three sessions, because this isn't a quick process, and a maximum of 10 to make sure they don't form a romantic attachment with me. Before meeting a client, I prepare by going to the gym or doing yoga, and I meditate on my commute. Since I turned 50, I'm conscious I need look my best, so I see a dermatologist, and of course I regularly do kegel exercises to keep my pelvic floor muscles tight. There have been many memorable moments over the years. When one client saw my vagina – the first he'd ever seen – he was blown away. 'It's marvellous!' he said. 'I love the colour and the texture.' I was thinking: 'I've had sex for 30 years and not once has a partner admired me the way this guy has.' Then there was the man with autism, who I helped have sex for the first time. His parents used to bring him to the sessions with me, and were so grateful. His dad said to me: 'Thank you for making him experience life as a man outside of his challenges.' Those sorts of moments are humbling and make me realise how much I'm helping people. My job has also helped me realise that sex can be incredibly powerful, rather than shallow or mediocre. I'm currently single, but I've had relationships since I became a sex surrogate. I've learned to separate my professional and personal life to avoid falling into 'work mode' and educating partners on being the ideal lover. I'm always transparent with a partner about my work and, so far, they've all been open-minded and unfazed by the fact I'll be sleeping with other men, and that I often get aroused while doing so. 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Daily Mail​

7 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

Indian astrologer 'who forecast Air India plane crash' posts new message after Brazil hot-air balloon tragedy

An Indian astrologer who claims to have predicted the Air India plane crash has now spoken about the Brazilian hot-air balloon tragedy that killed eight on Saturday. The astrologer, who goes by the name Astro Sharmistha on social media, tweeted earlier this year that 'air accidents will be more in numbers' until June. Following the devastating hot-air balloon accident today, which saw the vessel catch fire mid-air, the internet astrologer wrote in a cryptic tweet: '2025 will be labelled as the year [of] air mishaps in the history of aviation. 8 were dead today in [a] hot-air balloon accident in Brazil. Praying for the safety of mankind.' In a separate tweet, she wrote: 'Saying all [of this] since long but no one cared to hear it'. Her social media posts today sparked dozens of reactions from her followers. One concerned follower asked in the comments: 'Have to travel abroad abroad between 7th and 12th October. Should I travel?'. 'Very tragic. Prayers for the departed souls and safety for all', another user commented. 'May God give strength to the families and protect everyone', a third wrote. The astrologer's prediction comes after a hot-air balloon caught fire and tumbled from the sky on Saturday in Brazil 's southern state of Santa Catarina. Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon in flames as it hurtled toward the ground in the municipality of Praia Grande. On a video on social media, two people can be seen falling through the air as the fire spread onboard the aircraft. Thirteen people survived and were taken to hospitals, Santa Catarina's military fire brigade said, adding that 21 people were on board including the pilot. '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,' Gov. Jorginho Mello said in a video on X. Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his solidarity with victims' families and said he was placing the federal government at the disposal of victims and local authorities. 'According to the pilot, who is one of the survivors, a fire started inside the basket and then he began to lower the balloon. When the balloon was very close to the ground, he ordered people to jump out of the basket,' Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper quoted Praia Grande head police officer Tiago Luiz Lemos as saying. 'Some of them didn't manage to jump. The fire increased and the balloon ended up falling,' Lemos added. Last year, the astrologer had tweeted that in 2025 'plane crash headlines may give us shock.' She reiterated her prediction last week, warning on X: 'I am still holding high the prediction of [a] plane crash and destruction in aviation in 2025.' The tweet, which she posted on June 5, went viral following last week's plane crash in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, leaving hundreds of social media users stunned. '[You] have yet again proved your accuracy...I'm just left speechless by [your] prediction for a plane crash...', one X account wrote. Another commented: 'How can your prediction be so accurate always?'. Her shocking prediction began trending on social media just hours after the Air India flight bound for London Gatwick crashed and exploded into a fireball, killing at least 270 people, including 241 passengers and crew. The Boeing was not much more than 400ft above ground when the two experienced pilots onboard apparently lost power in both engines. The astrologer's shocking prediction began trending on social media just hours after the Air India flight bound for London Gatwick crashed and exploded into a fireball They then had 17 agonising seconds to wrestle with the controls before their plane smashed into a medical college packed with doctors, sending a fireball soaring into the sky. Experts from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are probing the crash with assistance from the UK, the US and officials from Boeing. The Indian government has set up a separate, high-level committee to examine the causes leading to the crash and formulate procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future. The committee is expected to file a preliminary report within three months. Authorities have also begun inspecting and carrying out additional maintenance and checks of Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners to prevent any future incident. Air India has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet. There were 53 British nationals on board Flight AI171 when it crashed into a residential area near the airport, as well as 159 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese citizens and a Canadian.

Daily Mirror

8 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Hot air balloon tragedy pilot's one instruction that saw 13 survive fatal blaze

Witnesses looked on in horror as the hot air balloon burst into flames and fell to the ground in Santa Catarina, Brazil - eight people died but another 13 miraculously survived A quick-thinking hot air balloon pilot whose aircraft went up in a catastrophic fireball and crashed to the ground helped 13 people survive the deadly tragedy, it has emerged. Witnesses looked on in horror as the balloon suddenly caught fire and plummeted from the sky in Brazil 's southern state of Santa Catarina today, killing eight people. Many described seeing smoke billowing from the balloon as it plunged towards the ground, with two people seen falling through the air as the fire engulfed the entire aircraft. Thirteen people survived out of the 21 people on board, including the pilot, who has now been credited with saving their lives. ‌ ‌ The pilot is said to have told the passengers to jump out of the basket as the balloon fell to the ground, with those who leapt quickly enough believed to be the ones who survived. Praia Grande police chief Tiago Luiz Lemos told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper: "According to the pilot, who is one of the survivors, a fire started inside the basket and then he began to lower the balloon. When the balloon was very close to the ground, he ordered people to jump out of the basket. "Some of them didn't manage to jump. The fire increased and the balloon ended up falling." Witnesses said they saw a number of people jumping from the balloon as it dropped. Reacting to the news that eight people had died, regional governor Jorginho Mello said in a video on X: "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." Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote on the social media platform: "I wish to express my solidarity with the families of the victims of the accident involving a hot air balloon that occurred this Saturday morning in Santa Catarina. "And to place the Federal Government at the disposal of the victims and the state and municipal forces working on the rescue and care of the survivors." Local media reported that the balloon's expected flight time was 45 minutes, with the balloon reaching a height 1,000 metres, and cost 550 Brazilian real (around £75) per passenger. Praia Grande is a common destination for hot-air ballooning, a popular activity in the south of Brazil during the June festival incident is only the latest involving a hot air balloon in Brazil, and last Sunday a balloon came down in Sao Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 other people.