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Published Jun 26, 2023 • Last updated Jun 26, 2023 • 1 minute read
A man died after a hot air balloon he was in caught fire and crashed to the ground in Worcestershire, England.
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According to the U.K.’s Sky News, witnesses said they saw a fireball coming from the craft before it “dropped like a stone” onto some trees in Ombersley, a nearby village.
The man — said to be in his 20s — was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident happened around 6:20 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Photos show the balloon high up in the sky moments before it plummeted to the ground.
“There were lots of balloons in the sky because it was clear and sunny despite being so early,” one witness said. “Suddenly, there was a flash and what looked like a fireball coming from a blue balloon and it just dropped like a stone.”
The witness added: “My wife heard terrible screaming and then silence. We called the emergency services, but had difficulty getting through on the 999 number because it was down.
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“We finally got through but it was just too high for anyone to survive. It was a terrible thing to see.”
Emergency crews and police rushed to the scene, but were unable to save the male pilot.
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The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has confirmed it is investigating and issued a statement.
“An accident near Ombersley, Worcestershire, involving a balloon was reported to the AAIB this morning and we are deploying a team to the site.”
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The weekend saw hundreds of people out to enjoy the first Worcester Balloon Festival at the city’s racecourse.
The event had been cancelled last month due to bad weather.
An event spokeperson said the deadly incident was “not connected to the festival.”
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