Latest news with #TiagoLuizLemos
Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- General
- 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.
Globe and Mail
18 hours ago
- General
- Globe and Mail
Eight dead, 13 injured after hot-air balloon crashes in Brazil
A hot-air balloon caught fire and tumbled from the sky on Saturday in Brazil 's southern state of Santa Catarina, killing eight people, firefighters said. 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. Mello said he has asked authorities to head to the municipality 'to do as much as possible to rescue, to help, to take to hospital, to comfort the families.' '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. G1 reported that the balloon's expected flight time was 45 minutes, with the balloon reaching 1000 meters, and cost 550 reais (around $100) per passenger. Praia Grande is a common destination for hot-air ballooning, a popular activity in some parts of Brazil's south during June festivities that celebrate Catholic saints such as St. John, whose feast day is on June 24. Last Sunday, a balloon came down in Sao Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 other people, G1 reported.
