Eight dead after hot air balloon catches fire and crashes in Brazil
21 June 2025, 14:57 | Updated: 21 June 2025, 16:39
At least eight people have been killed after a hot air balloon carrying 22 people caught fire and crashed in Brazil.
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The hot-air ballon reportedly crashed in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina.
Jorginho Mello, the state governor, announced the deaths on social media.
"Preliminary information indicates that there were 22 people on board.
"So far, we have confirmed eight deaths and two survivors were rescued alive," he wrote on X.
Rescue workers were at the scene in Praia Grande and were searching for the others, he added.
Read more: Seven people killed after helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims crashes in India
Footage posted online showed the basket underneath the balloon plunging to the ground after it deflated.
The balloon appeared to catch fire while in the sky.
It comes after a hot air balloon crashed in central Turkey last week, killing one person dead and injuring 19.
Mehmet Ali Kumbuzoglu, the provincial governor, said the pilot died after they were forced to make a hard landing due to a strong and sudden change in wind conditions.
“Unfortunately, our pilot got stuck under the basket and died,” he said.
Nermin Yildirim Kara, an MP from the province of Hatay, wrote on X: “We wish God’s blessings upon our peer who lost his life in the air balloon accident in the Ihlara Valley of Aksaray province, and a speedy recovery to those who have been injured.”
Hot air ballooning is a popular tourist attraction in Turkey.
