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At least eight people have died after a hot air balloon accident in Brazil’s southern Santa Catarina region on Saturday.
Of the 21 people on board, thirteen people, including the pilot, survived, and no one is missing, the state government press office reported.
“We are all shocked by the accident involving a balloon in Praia Grande this Saturday morning. Our rescue team is already on site… So far, we have confirmed eight deaths,” local governor Jorginho Mello said on X.
Video posted to social media shows a hot air balloon catching fire while in the sky. The balloon then deflates and falls to the ground.
@metrouk Three of the victims of a fatal hot air balloon crash in Brazil died holding each other for comfort, local police say. The balloon caught alight and rapidly deflated before crashing to the ground at around 8am local time on Saturday morning. There were 21 people on board the balloon, eight people died and 13 others survived, including the pilot. #hotairballoon #brazil #rip ♬ Mysterious and sad BGM(1120058) – S and N
The eyewitness said she ran to see where the balloon fell and saw two survivors, “a woman covered in mud and in a state of shock, and a man with her who was limping,” as well as two bodies. Looking at the harrowing footage, it’s a miracle anyone survived the crash.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his solidarity with the families of the victims on X. “I would like to place the Federal Government at the disposal of the victims and the state and municipal forces that are working on the rescue and care for the survivors,” he said.
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 Saint John, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Balloon tour company Sobrevoar Serviços Turísticos, which operated the flight, has now suspended its activities indefinitely.
According to CNN affiliate CNN Brasil, Saturday’s incident was the third involving a hot-air balloon in Brazil in less than a week. Last Sunday, a balloon carrying 35 people, which did not have authorisation to fly, fell in São Paulo. One person died, and the pilot was arrested.
Last Thursday, another balloon fell on the coast of São Paulo, although no serious damage was caused and no homes were hit.
