Albuquerque hot air balloon crash ends in tragedy
By Christiane Jacke and Jami Ganz, New York Daily News
Albuquerque, New Mexico - Five people died in the crash of a hot air balloon in New Mexico on Saturday.
Albuquerque police said the balloon hit a power line and four people died at the scene.
Another severely injured accident victim was initially taken to hospital, but later died there as well.
The collision with a power line caused widespread power outages in the area, and the cause of the crash is being investigated.
Footage showed the balloon's gondola resting on a road crossing, and local media reported that the gondola and its occupants had crashed there.
The balloon then broke loose, flew away, and was later found at a house nearby.
"Our prayers go out to the friends and family of all five people who tragically lost their lives," the Albuquerque police tweeted.
Authorities responded to the scene shortly after 7 AM local time after reports of a balloon hitting a power line and subsequently catching fire, KOB reports.
The pilot was earlier confirmed to be among the other four deceased, which included two adult males and two adult females ranging in age from 40 to 60 years old, tweeted KOB reporter Joy Wang.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue said the cause of the crash is currently unknown, she also tweeted.
Witnesses to the scene saw "a big fire," but was "already too late"
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will handle the investigation into the cause of the incident, according to police.
"I noticed a loud bang. My girlfriend heard it...It sounded like gunshots and it was like a loud boom, boom," Joshua Perez, who was at the gym at the time of the crash, told Wang, noting that the pair saw the balloon and basket going in opposite directions.
"You just react fast and I was thinking, 'Save these people. Save these people,'" said Perez, who noted that, after seeing "a big fire," he was among people who turned off the propane but "it was just already too late."
"No one was moving. I think they already had got shocked. So it is a sad day in New Mexico. You know, [hot-air ballooning] is our tradition," Perez told Wang.
More than a dozen outages affecting close to 14,000 in the city's southwest area were acknowledged by Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM).
"Everyone at PNM is deeply saddened by this tragic loss. We are thinking about the family and friends affected by today's events. We will continue to do everything we can to support first responders in this evolving situation," said the electric company, according to Wang.
The company tweeted around 11 AM local time that power had been restored and noted: "Our hearts are deeply saddened about the loss of lives today."
"This was a terrible incident," the company continued in a subsequent tweet. "We would like to thank first responders & PNM crews for their work on this very sad day."
Cover photo: 123RF/Volodymyr Goinyk