A hot-air balloon caught fire and fell from the sky today in Brazil’s southern state of Santa Catarina, killing eight people, while 13 jumped to safety.
The horrifying crash happened today, June 21, in the country’s Praia Grande region – a popular destination for hot-air ballooning.
Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed smoke coming from the balloon in flames as it hurled toward the ground.
In a separate video circulating on social media, two people can be seen falling through the air as the fire spreads onboard the aircraft.
Thirteen people survived and were taken to hospitals, Santa Catarina’s military fire brigade said, adding that 21 people were on board including the pilot.
It is thought a woman might have boarded the hot air balloon at the very last minute, creating a possible 22nd victim, who authorities are searching for.
“We are in mourning. A tragedy has happened. We will see how it unfolds, what happened, why it happened. But the important thing now is for the state structure to do what it can,” State Governor Jorginho Mello said in a video on X.
Mello said he has asked authorities to head to the municipality “to do as much as possible to rescue, to help, to take to hospital, to comfort the families.”
The cause of the accident is still being investigated and rescue teams are on the ground searching for those not accounted for.
The pilot is one of the survivors, according to Brazilian outlet Jornal Razao, and has since explained how he understands the fire to have started.
The fire reportedly started in a back-up burner stored in the basket. Somehow, it caught alight, the pilot explained.
“I don’t know if it stayed lit or if it reignited on its own, but it was the torch that started it all,” he said.
After noticing the flames, he immediately tried to lower the balloon, ordering passengers to jump when the craft got close to the ground.
Some managed to leap to safety, surviving with injuries – but others did not make it out in time.
The hot air balloon weighed much less after those people had escaped – so it rose up into the sky, carrying the passengers who stayed behind in the basket with it.
As the fire spread, the balloon detached from the basket, which then began to speed towards the ground.
Among those who remained in the basket, no one is said to have survived.
News outlet G1 reported that the balloon’s expected flight time was 45 minutes, with the balloon reaching over 3000ft.
One witness told Jornal Razao earlier today: “We saw two people fall on fire. After the basket broke, the balloon fell completely.”
Another added: “When we arrived, there were two people alive, a woman covered in mud, in shock, and a man limping.
“In the pasture, there were two bodies near the horses. The balloon was deeper in the forest, on fire.
“The firefighters asked us to move the cars because it could explode, because of the gas.”
