A hot-air balloon struck and collapsed a radio tower Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the city's famous festival. Luckily, there were no reports of injuries, said Kevin Carhart, a spokesperson for the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. The balloon, which had three people on board, landed safely in a field after it struck the tower.
The Aerostar International Inc. S-57A balloon took off from a park as part of the 52nd annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, said the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating.
It wasn't clear how tall the tower was. News footage of the aftermath showed no other structures in the path of the collapsed tower.
A balloon bumped into a power line earlier this week in Albuquerque on the festival's third day, leaving nearly 13,000 customers without power for almost an hour.
The Fiesta is one of the world's most photographed events, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators each fall to New Mexico to look up at more than 100 balloons in bright colours and special shapes.
In 2004, a balloon shaped like the face of Smokey Bear got wrapped around a radio tower during the festival, forcing the pilot and two passengers to climb most of the way down the structure.
It’s unclear whether the tower struck on Friday was the same tower where a balloon got entangled 20 years ago.
Earlier in January this year, at least four people were killed and another critically injured after a hot air balloon crash near Eloy, Arizona. The police said the crash occurred in a rural desert area about 97 km south of Phoenix. "Skydivers were able to exit the balloon without incident and completed their planned skydiving event, and then shortly thereafter, something catastrophic occurred with the balloon, causing it to crash to the ground," said Eloy Acting Police Chief Byron Gwaltney.
According to an eyewitness, the material of the hot air balloon was straight up and down as it came down and the impact was large. Three people were taken to an area hospital, where they later died. One person was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The person in critical condition was taken to a trauma centre in Phoenix.
(With inputs from agency)
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