Hot-air balloon in Brazil catches fire and falls from the sky, killing 8 and injuring 13
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Hot air balloon catches fire and falls in Brazil, killing at least 8 people
A hot air balloon caught fire and tumbled from the sky on Saturday in Brazil’s southern state of Santa Catarina. At least eight people were killed and 13 were injured, officials said. The company responsible for the balloon said it complied with all regulations and had a clean accident record before Saturday. The balloon’s expected flight time was 45 minutes, with the balloon reaching 1000 meters, and it cost 550 reais (around $100) per passenger, local media reported. Last Sunday, a balloon fell in São Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 others, G1 reported, citing local news outlet G1. The state’s governor said he has asked authorities to head to the municipality “to do as much as possible to rescue, to help”
In a video on social media, two people can be seen falling through the air as the fire spread onboard the aircraft. Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon in flames as it hurtled towards the ground.
Three people died hugging each other, said Ulisses Gabriel, chief of Santa Catarina’s civil police force, on X. “It hurts the soul.”
Thirteen people survived and were taken to hospitals, Santa Catarina’s military fire brigade said, adding that 21 people were on board, including the pilot.
Emergency services operate at the area where a hot air balloon crashed, leaving at least 8 dead in Santa Catarina, Brazil on June 21, 2025. CBMSC/ Brazil / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
Sobrevoar, the company responsible for the multi-colored balloon, said it complied with all regulations and had a clean accident record before Saturday.
“Despite all necessary precautions and the efforts of our pilot — who has extensive experience and followed all recommended procedures in an attempt to save everyone on board the balloon — we are suffering from the pain caused by this tragedy,” it said in a statement.
Sobrevoar added that it was suspending all operations for an indefinite period.
“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,” Gov. Jorginho Mello said in a video on X.
Mello said he has 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.”
“According to the pilot, who is one of the survivors, a fire started inside the basket and then he began to lower the balloon. When the balloon was very close to the ground, he ordered people to jump out of the basket,” Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper quoted Praia Grande head police officer Tiago Luiz Lemos as saying.
“Some of them didn’t manage to jump. The fire increased and the balloon ended up falling,” Lemos added.
Emergency services operate at the area where a hot air balloon crashed, leaving at least 8 dead in Santa Catarina, Brazil on June 21, 2025. CBMSC/ Brazil / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
G1 reported that the balloon’s expected flight time was 45 minutes, with the balloon reaching 1000 meters, and it cost 550 reais (around $100) per passenger.
Praia Grande is a common destination for hot air ballooning, a popular activity in some parts of Brazil’s south during June festivities that celebrate Catholic saints such as Saint John.
Last Sunday, a balloon fell in São Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 others, G1 reported.
There have been several fatal hot air balloon crashes elsewhere in recent years.
Last year, four people were killed when a hot air balloon crashed in Arizona. Also in 2024, a man fell to his death from a hot air balloon as it passed over Melbourne, Australia.
In 2023, two people died and a girl was injured after the hot air balloon they were riding in caught fire near Mexico City.
Five people died in 2021 after a hot air balloon crashed into power lines in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
8 killed, 13 injured after hot-air balloon catches fire, falls in Brazil
8 killed, 13 injured after hot-air balloon catches fire, falls in Brazil. 13 people survived and were taken to hospitals, Santa Catarina’s military fire brigade said. 21 people were on board including the pilot, G1 reported. Last Sunday, a balloon fell in Sao Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 others.
Vartha Bharati | 21-06-2025 | 22:26:00 IST
Screengrab from the video | PC: X
Rio De Janeiro, Jun 21 (AP): A hot-air balloon caught fire and tumbled from the sky on Saturday in Brazil ‘s southern state of Santa Catarina, killing eight people, firefighters said.
Footage shared by local news outlet G1 showed billows of smoke coming from the balloon in flames as it hurdled towards the ground.
Thirteen people survived and were taken to hospitals, Santa Catarina’s military fire brigade said, adding that 21 people were on board including the pilot.
Last Sunday, a balloon fell in Sao Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman and injuring 11 others, G1 reported.
Praia Grande is a common destination for hot-air ballooning, a popular activity in some parts of Brazil’s south during June festivities that celebrate Catholic saints such as Saint John.
🔴BREAKING: At least eight people are #dead after a hot air balloon carrying 22 people crashed in #PraiaGrande, in #Brazil’s state of #SantaCatarina. pic.twitter.com/tUJ14ly5rq — News.Az (@news_az) June 21, 2025
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Hot-air balloon in Brazil catches fire and falls from the sky, killing 8 and injuring 13
Billows of smoke were seen coming from the balloon in the city of Praia Grande in the South of Brazil, as it deflated and hurtled toward the ground. Two people were seen falling through the air as the fire spread onboard the balloon. Another three died hugging each other. In all, 21 people were on board, including the pilot. Last Sunday, a proposal aboard a hot air balloon in Sao Paulo state turned deadly after strong winds caused it to crash — killing a just engaged 27-year-old woman.
Billows of smoke were seen coming from the balloon in the city of Praia Grande in the South of Brazil, as it deflated and hurtled toward the ground.
Two people were seen falling through the air as the fire spread onboard the balloon. Another three died hugging each other.
4 A hot-air balloon caught fire and fell down in Brazil, killing eight people. G1
4 Two people were seen falling through the air as the fire spread onboard the balloon. Santa Catarina Fire Department/AFP via Getty Images
“The loss of people hurts the soul,” Ulisses Gabriel, chief of the state of Santa Catarina’s civil police force, said on X.
Thirteen people survived and had to be taken to hospitals, Santa Catarina’s military fire brigade said.
In all, 21 people were on board, including the pilot.
“We are in mourning. A tragedy has happened,” Santa Catarina Gov. Jorginho Mello said in a video on X, adding that the state is investigating what happened.
When a fire started inside the basket, the pilot began to lower the balloon, ordering passengers to jump when it got close to the ground. But some of them didn’t manage to.
“The fire increased and the balloon ended up falling,” Praia Grande head police officer Tiago Luiz Lemos told Folha de São Paulo newspaper.
4 Rescue teams and experts at the crash site after a hot air balloon carrying 21 people caught fire and plunged, in Praia Grande, State of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, on June 21, 2025. Santa Catarina Fire Department/AFP via Getty Images
4 Thirteen people survived and had to be taken to hospitals, Santa Catarina’s military fire brigade said. Santa Catarina Fire Department/AFP via Getty Images
Last Sunday, a proposal aboard a hot air balloon in Sao Paulo state turned deadly after strong winds caused it to crash — killing a just engaged 27-year-old woman.
Hot air ballooning was outlawed in Brazil in 1998 over safety risks, and these kinds of trips — though extremely popular — are considered clandestine operations.
At least 8 killed, 13 injured after hot-air balloon catches fire, falls from sky in Brazil
At least 8 killed, 13 injured after hot-air balloon catches fire, falls from sky in Brazil. Incident was the third involving a hot- air balloon in Brazil in less than a week. Ballooning is a popular activity in some parts of Brazil’s south during June festivities. Last Sunday, a balloon carrying 35 people – which did not have authorization to fly – fell in São Paulo; one person died and the pilot was arrested. The balloon then deflates and falls to the ground, local media outlet Jornal Razão reports.
RIO DE JANEIRO — At least eight people are dead following a crash involving a hot-air balloon in Brazil’s southern region of Santa Catarina on Saturday, according to the local governor.
“We are all shocked by the accident involving a balloon in Praia Grande, this Saturday morning. Our rescue team is already on site… So far, we have confirmed eight deaths,” local governor Jorginho Mello said on X.
He said 21 people were on board; the other 13 survived.
Video posted to social media shows a hot-air balloon catching fire while in the sky. The balloon then deflates and falls to the ground.
“We saw two people fall from above, and soon after the basket broke, and the balloon fell,” an eyewitness told local media outlet Jornal Razão.
The eyewitness said she ran to see where the balloon fell and saw two survivors, “a woman covered in mud and in a state of shock, and a man with her who was limping,” as well as two bodies.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his solidarity with the families of the victims on X. “I would like to place the Federal Government at the disposal of the victims and the state and municipal forces that are working on the rescue and care for the survivors,” he said.
Praia Grande is a common destination for hot-air ballooning, a popular activity in some parts of Brazil’s south during June festivities that celebrate Catholic saints such as Saint John, the Associated Press news agency reports.
“My solidarity with the city of Praia Grande… We are in mourning. It’s a tragedy that happened. We will check the developments, what happened, and why it happened,” Mello said in a video statement on X.
According to CNN affiliate CNN Brasil, Saturday’s incident was the third involving a hot-air balloon in Brazil in less than a week. Last Sunday, a balloon carrying 35 people – which did not have authorization to fly – fell in São Paulo. One person died and the pilot was arrested.
Last Thursday, another balloon fell on the coast of São Paulo, although no serious damage was caused and no homes were hit.
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