This weekend in Australia, a typically peaceful hot air balloon ride turned tragic when a passenger fell out of the basket and plunged 1,500 feet to his death.
A man fell out of the basket less than thirty minutes into the commercial hot air balloon flight. The man’s body landed in a nearby residential area, while the hot air balloon landed safely miles away from the scene of the incident.
According to local eyewitnesses, residents in the area were unaware of what had happened until they heard the sirens of first responders. They reportedly heard a loud bang before emergency responders arrived.
As well as being a very traumatic experience for those involved, the incident also resulted in several power lines coming down. There is now a large police presence in the area, blocking traffic from entering the area.
No foul play is suspected in this case; however, the police are interviewing the other occupants of the hot air balloon to determine the exact cause of the man’s fall.
The National Commercial Hot-Air Ballooning Industry and the Australian Ballooning Federation have spoken out following the incident, assuring the public that hot-air balloon baskets are designed to prevent passengers from falling out of them.
“Hot-air balloon baskets are designed with safety in mind, specifically to prevent passengers from falling out accidentally or from any accidental exit,” their written statement said. “Passengers and the pilot are understandably traumatized by this tragedy and the operator is arranging psychological support and counseling for all affected.”
NBC NEWS
The hot-air balloon operator has stated that he will arrange psychological support and counseling for the witnesses who have been affected by this horrible tragedy.
This is not the first tragedy involving hot-air balloons this year, as four people were killed earlier this year in a hot-air balloon accident in Arizona, where a balloon went down during a skydiving trip.
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