At least eight people have been killed and 13 injured when a hot air balloon they were on caught fire and crashed in Brazil’s southern state of Santa Catarina.
The tourism balloon carrying 21 people went up in flames in the early hours of Saturday, crashing in the city of Praia Grande on the Atlantic coast, according to Santa Catarina’s military fire brigade.
Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon as it plummeted dozens of metres toward the ground.
The survivors were transported to nearby hospitals, said firefighters.
“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,” said Jorginho Mello, governor of Santa Catarina, in a video on X.
Mello said he had 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”.
Sobrevoar, the company responsible for the balloon, said the pilot had “extensive experience” and “followed all recommended procedures in an attempt to save everyone on board”.
The company said it was suspending all operations for an indefinite period.
G1 reported that the balloon’s expected flight time was 45 minutes, with the balloon reaching 1,000 metres (3,280 feet). The trip cost 550 reais (around $100) per passenger.
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