Eight dead in horror hot air balloon disaster
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At least eight people have been killed when a hot-air balloon carrying 21 passengers caught fire in southern Brazil, said the governor of Santa Catarina state, where the incident occurred.
'Eight fatalities and 13 survivors,' governor Jorginho Mello said on X.
Videos taken by bystanders and carried on Brazilian television showed the moment when the balloon erupted in flames above the coastal town of Praia Grande. The weather conditions were clear.
Shocking footage shows the balloon engulfed in fire swinging mid-air before the passenger basket broke off and plummeted to the ground in flames.
The balloon could be seen erupting in flames. Picture: The Sun
It then broke apart and fell out of the sky. Picture: The Sun
Thirteen people, including the pilot, miraculously survived and were rushed to the hospitals, the local fire brigade said.
The pilot explained that a fire broke out, possibly caused by a blowtorch in the basket, The Sun reports.
He told Brazilian outlet Jornal Razao: 'I don't know if it stayed lit or if it reignited on its own, but it was the torch that started it all.'
After noticing the flames, the pilot said he immediately tried to land the balloon and ordered passengers to jump when they got close to the ground.
Rescue teams at the crash site after a hot air balloon carrying 21 people caught fire and plunged, in Praia Grande, State of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, on June 21, 2025. Picture: Santa Catarina Fire Department / AFP.
At least eight people were killed and 13 other were injured after the basket plummeted dozens of meters to the ground in flames in southern Brazil, the governor of Santa Catarina Jorginho Mello reported. Picture: Santa Catarina Fire Department / AFP.
Praia Grande, on the Atlantic coast, is a popular destination for hot-air ballooning in Brazil.
The survivors were being treated in area hospitals, firefighters said. An investigation was launched to determine the cause of the accident. 'I want to express my solidarity with the families of the victims,' Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in a statement.
The pilot told officials that the fire was sparked by a blowtorch in the basket, Tiago Luiz Lemos, a police official in Praia Grande, told local media.
The pilot tried to bring the balloon down as soon as the fire erupted, 'and once it was close to the ground, he told the passengers to jump from the basket. But some of them couldn't do it and the fire grew,' the official said.
One witness told the Razao newspaper that he saw 'two people falling, they were on fire, the basket broke off and the balloon fell.' It was the second fatal balloon accident in the country in just a few days.
Less than a week ago, a woman died during a ride in southeastern Sao Paulo state.
With AFP and The Sun
Originally published as Eight dead in horror hot air balloon disaster
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