A hot air balloon carrying 21 passengers caught fire and crashed in front of shocked onlookers, resulting in eight fatalities and thirteen injuries.
On Saturday morning, June 21, the tragedy took place in the skies over Praia Grande, which is located in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.
The pilot ordered an emergency jump after a fire broke out in midair.
According to the tour company Sobrevoar Serviços Turísticos, which operated the balloon, it had no prior accidents and had complied with all aviation regulations.
As part of a tour over the well-known ballooning destination, the balloon took off.
The fire started inside the balloon’s basket, according to police and eyewitness reports. According to BBC News, officer Tiago Luiz Lemos of the Praia Grande police said, “According to the pilot, who is one of the survivors, a fire started inside the basket, so he started to lower the balloon, and when the balloon was very close to the ground he told people to jump.”
The pilot was one of 13 people who survived the jump. Others, though, were unable to flee in time.
“They started to jump, but some people did not manage to,” Officer Lemos continued. As the flames grew, the balloon started to rise once more due to the weight. Later, a loss of suspension caused it to fall.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Ulisses Gabriel, the chief of police, told Globo News in Brazil that the balloon needed multiple people to stabilize it due to the high wind during takeoff. He told the Daily Mail, “There was a truck pulling the balloon with a cable, which was moving very intensely from side to side.”
Gabriel clarified that even flame-retardant materials were unable to put out the fire that may have been caused by a gas leak from this movement.
Investigators were informed by the pilot that a backup burner kept in the basket was most likely the cause of the fire. According to the Jornal Razao, he stated, “I don’t know if it stayed lit or if it reignited on its own, but it was the torch that started it all.”
Some passengers leaped from the balloon as the fire spread. Others who were still on board perished in the fall or the flames. According to G1, four of the victims passed away after jumping, and another four died from burns sustained in the basket.
Survivors and Victims
Two couples, a mother and daughter, an ophthalmologist, and a figure skater were among the eight victims.
For medical care, survivors were taken to nearby hospitals. Ulisses Gabriel, the head of civil police, reported that three of the dead were discovered embracing one another. He wrote on X, “It hurts the soul.”
One witness told Jornal Razao, “We saw two people fall on fire,” as residents recounted the aftermath. The balloon fell all the way down after the basket broke. Another said, “There were two people alive when we got there: a man limping and a woman covered in mud who was in shock.”
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Responders from emergency services were sent out right away. Authorities advised residents to avoid the area due to the possibility of an explosion from gas leaks, as evidenced by footage from the scene showing smoke rising from the crash site.
National Mourning and Official Reaction
Jorginho Mello, the governor of Santa Catarina, spoke to the public via video while he was in China at the time. He declared, “What happened is a tragedy; we are in mourning.” “We’ll look into what caused this. However, the most crucial thing right now is to make every effort to connect with the people and their families.
Additionally, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva offered his condolences. “I want to show my support for the families of those who lost their loved ones in the balloon accident that happened in Santa Catarina this Saturday morning,” he wrote on X. Additionally, I would like to make the Federal Government available to the victims as well as the state and local agencies tasked with rescuing and caring for the survivors.
“The City of Praia Grande expresses its solidarity with the families involved in the balloon accident that occurred on the morning of Saturday, 21 June,” read a statement released by the city hall of Praia Grande.
An investigation is underway.
The National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) of Brazil has opened an inquiry into the crew’s behavior and the aircraft’s state. Flávio Graff, the public safety secretary for Santa Catarina, stated that the investigation’s findings would be released to the public in 30 days. In addition to the pilot’s testimony, survivors’ statements will be gathered.
The operations of Sobrevoar Serviços Turísticos have been put on indefinite hold. “Unfortunately, we are now facing the pain caused by this tragedy — despite all necessary precautions and the efforts of our experienced pilot — who followed all recommended procedures and tried to save everyone on board,” the company said in a statement.
The Examining of Ballooning
Days prior to this crash, a 27-year-old woman lost her life and eleven others were hurt in another deadly hot air balloon accident in São Paulo.
In the southern part of Brazil, ballooning is a popular pastime, especially during June when celebrations honoring Catholic saints attract sizable crowds.
According to locals, on the morning of the accident, there were about thirty balloons in the air in Praia Grande, with the doomed balloon being one of the last to take off. It was anticipated that the flight would last 45 minutes and reach over 3,000 feet.
We are thinking of everyone affected by this tragedy.
