Four people were killed and a fifth person was seriously injured when a hot air balloon crashed in the US state of Arizona on Sunday. The cause of the accident in a rural desert area is still unclear.
“This morning a devastating incident occurred in our community. At approximately 7:50 a.m., a hot air balloon crashed in the desert east of Sunshine Boulevard and Hanna Road in Eloy, killing four people and seriously injuring one person,” the city’s police department wrote on Facebook on Sunday (see post below ).
It says it is working with federal authorities, including the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to investigate the cause of this tragic event. The identities of the victims have not been released pending notification of next of kin.
According to police, the balloon was launched with eight paratroopers and five other people who did not parachute. After all the paratroopers had jumped out of the balloon, disaster struck. “Shortly thereafter, something catastrophic happened to the balloon, causing it to crash to the ground,” Eloy Police Chief Byron Gwaltney said.
The cause of the crash is still unclear
What led to the crash is currently under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA. According to the NTSB, the Cameron Balloons A160 hot air balloon crashed in the desert after a problem with the envelope or balloon.
Firefighters freed the victims from the crashed balloon. One person died at the scene of the accident, four others were taken to hospital. Authorities said three of those involved in the crash later died and one seriously injured person remains in critical condition at a hospital trauma center.
“Unspecified coverage issue”
Investigators were on scene Sunday examining the crashed hot air balloon. “Preliminary information indicates that the balloon struck desert terrain due to an unspecified issue with the envelope,” an NTSB spokesperson said.
Source: Krone
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