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 season.The 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.
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Daily Mirror
7 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.
Daily Record
12 hours ago
- Daily Record
Eight dead after hot air balloon catches fire in the sky and plummets to ground
Devastated scenes have unfolded near Praia Grande in Brazil. At least eight people have been killed when a hot air carrying 21 people horrifically caught fire while thousands meters in the sky. The blaze ripped through the balloon before it crashed to the ground in devastating scenes. As the Mirror reports, the disaster unfolded near to Praia Grande, in Brazil, on Saturday morning. Officials in Brazil have confirmed the tragic deaths of eight people. It is understood 13 survived the fireball crash. Harrowing footage has emerged of the moment the blaze tore a huge hole in the balloon before the base carrying passengers crashes to the ground. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. State governor Jorginho Mello on X said: "Preliminary information indicates that there were 22 people on board. So far, we have confirmed eight deaths and two survivors were rescued alive." He later added: "21 people on board - 8 fatalities, 13 survivors. Our teams continue to provide all necessary support to the families and victims. We are still monitoring the situation. "Our teams continue to provide all necessary support to families and victims. We continue to monitor the situation."
BBC News
13 hours ago
- BBC News
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 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. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
