CNN
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At least eight people have been killed after an accident involving a hot air balloon in the southern region of Santa Catarina, Brazil on Saturday, according to the local governor.
“We are all shocked by an accident this Saturday morning, including a Praia Grande balloon. Our rescue team is already on the scene. So far, we’ve confirmed eight deaths.”
He said 21 people were on board and 13 others survived.
A video posted on social media shows a catch fire of a hot air balloon while in the sky. The balloon then contracts and falls to the ground.
“We saw them just after they fell from above and the balloons fell as soon as the basket broke,” an eyewitness told local media Jornal Razan.
Witnesses said they saw where the balloons fell and saw the two survivors, a “woman covered in mud and shock, and a man with her limping.”
Praia Grande is the general destination for Hot-Air Ballooning, a popular activity in parts of Brazil’s southern part of the June festival celebrating Catholic saints such as St. John, reports the AP.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
