Hot Air Balloon Crash Kills 16 Passengers In Central Texas

mmanager

8 years ago

MEP: A hot air balloon burst into flames over central Texas on Saturday after apparently striking power lines and plunged into a field, killing all 16 people aboard, the Texas department of safety says.

The accident happened near Lockhart, south of Austin, after a blaze broke out in the basket section of the balloon, according to Aviation officials.

“Right now, we have a number of fatalities,” a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spokesman said from the scene, adding that an FBI team was being dispatched to help in evidence-gathering.

The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office said 16 people were believed to have been aboard the doomed craft and that no one survived. The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed that 16 people were dead.

The balloon crashed at about 07:40 (12:40 GMT), officials said.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott expressed condolences to those affected by the crash and promised an investigation into the “heartbreaking tragedy.”