Tragedy in the air: a hot air balloon crashed and 5 people died

The city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is in shock. This Saturday, a hot air balloon he crashed after hitting power lines in the air. Pedestrians walking near the scene recorded the moment of the fall and the footage went viral. Local authorities confirmed that five people died for the accident.

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This morning, from his Twitter account, police in Albuquerque alerted to the situation. “Our agents respond to a hot air balloon accident in the area of ​​Central Ave and Unser Boulevard, where a power line appears to have struck,” they wrote in a first tweet.

They later detailed that four people died instantly. The balloon pilot survived and was rushed to hospital due to the severity of his injuries.

However, authorities announced that he died within hours. “Our prayers go out to the friends and family of the five who tragically lost their lives,” police wrote on Twitter.

As stated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FFA in its acronym in English), the nacelle fell about 30 meters high. Due to the impact it had on some cables, more than 13,000 users were deprived of electricity.

Once on the ground, the balloon started to catch fire. Joshua Pérez, a person near the scene, approached with another man to put out the flames. “It was heartbreaking”, he said.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.

Police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos noted that hot air balloons are difficult to handle, especially when the wind is blowing. Albuquerque is one of the favorite cities for lovers of this activity. The city hosts an event in October, lasting nine days, which attracts thousands of spectators and pilots from all over the world.

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In 2016, in Texas, a balloon collided with power lines before crashing. All 16 crew members died. Federal officials said at the time that it was the worst such disaster in US history.