8 die in Brazil hot-air balloon fire

(AFP): Eight people died on Saturday when a hot-air balloon caught fire and crashed in southern Brazil.

The balloon was carrying 21 people when it burst into flames mid-air and fell to the ground near the tourist town of Praia Grande. Thirteen others survived the accident, some with minor injuries.

It was the second fatal balloon accident in the South American country in less than a week.

"Eight fatalities and 13 survivors," Santa Catarina state governor Jorginho Mello said on X.

Videos captured by bystanders and aired on Brazilian television showed the moment the balloon burst into flames above a rural area near Praia Grande, a coastal tourist town known for hot-air ballooning.

The basket carrying the passengers fell dozens of metres to the ground in flames. Other footage showed some passengers leaping from the balloon mid-air.

Firefighters said the 13 survivors were treated at hospitals.

Our Lady of Fatima Hospital reported that of the five survivors treated there, three were in stable condition with minor injuries, while two had already been discharged.

Information on the remaining survivors was not immediately available.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. Weather conditions were reported to be clear at the time.

"I want to express my solidarity with the families of the victims," said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a statement.

The pilot told authorities that the fire started from a blowtorch — used to ignite the balloon’s main flame — inside the basket, police official Tiago Luiz Lemos told local media in Praia Grande.

The pilot attempted to bring the balloon down quickly after the fire broke out and told passengers to jump once it was close to the ground. "But some of them couldn’t do it, and the fire spread," said the official.

According to fire department official Zevir Cipriano Junior, four people were burned to death, while four others died from injuries caused by the fall.

A witness told Razão newspaper: “I saw two people falling, they were on fire, the basket broke off and the balloon fell.”

Less than a week ago, a woman died during a balloon ride in São Paulo state.