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Fatalities reported after hot air balloon carrying 16 crashes in Texas Hot air balloon with 16 on board crashes in Texas, no survivors likely – authorities
(35 minutes later)
A hot air balloon carrying 16 people caught fire and crashed into fields near Lockhart in central Texas. The local authorities say it is unlikely any survivors will be found. A hot air balloon carrying 16 people caught fire and crashed into a field near Lockhart in central Texas, in what is likely the second-deadliest ballooning accident in history.
"It does not appear at this time that there were any survivors," said the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office."It does not appear at this time that there were any survivors," said the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office.
If the death toll is confirmed, this will be the second-deadliest ballooning accident in history. Police said that they answered a 911 call at 7.44 a.m. on Saturday, claiming that there was a road vehicle fire about 30 miles (48km) south of state capital Austin.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the crash took place 30 miles (48km) south of state capital Austin at about 7.40 a.m. on Saturday morning. Both, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have sent experts to the scene to investigate. “When the Emergency Responders and the Sheriff’s Office arrived it was apparent that the reported fire was the basket portion of a hot air balloon.”
The worst-ever hot air balloon crash occurred in Luxor, Egypt in 2013. It resulted in the deaths of 19 of the 21 passengers on board, after the contraption caught fire when attempting to land. In 2012, a crash in Slovenia, killed six people, when a balloon was blown towards the ground by a storm, and in New Zealand, 11 people died, after a tourist balloon became tangled in a power line. In both cases, the gas-powered aerostats were engulfed in rapidly-spreading flames. Officers then saw that the balloon “was occupied” and are now “determining the number and identities of the victims.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott expressed “deepest condolences” and promised an investigation into the “heartbreaking tragedy.”
Both, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have sent experts to the scene.
The worst-ever hot air balloon crash occurred in Luxor, Egypt in 2013. It resulted in the deaths of 19 of the 21 passengers on board, after the contraption caught fire when attempting to land. In 2012, a crash in Slovenia killed six people, when a balloon was blown towards the ground by a storm, and in New Zealand, 11 people died, after a tourist balloon became tangled in a power line. In both cases, the gas-powered aerostats were engulfed in rapidly-spreading flames.