16 passengers of a hot air balloon floating over Texas’ airspace reportedly died after a tragic crash.
Sixteen people feared to have met death when ther air hot air balloon crashes in Lockhart, 30 miles south of Austin, Texas, Saturday morning.
According to a statement on the Caldwell County Office of the Emergency Management’s Facebook page, law enforcement officers responded to a 911 call at 7:44 AM about a possible auto accident in the Maxwell area. Officers found the balloon basket on fire on the ground.
“When the Emergency Responders and the Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene, it was apparent that the reported fire was the basket portion of a hot air balloon,” it added in its Twitter post.
Initial investigation of the Federal Aviation Administration told reporters that the hot air balloon may have struck power lines before catching fire and crashing to the ground.
Judge Ken Schawe of caldwell Country said that the details on the cause of the accident is very limited but striking power lines is the most proximate cause.
Texas emergency responders say that fire caught the basket portion of the hot air balloon.
According to reports, there was no survivor in the said crash.
“It does not appear at this time that there were any survivors of the crash,” said Caldwell County Sheriff Daniel Law.
The National Transportation Safety Board taking charge of the probe.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott offered condolences to those affected by the crash.
If all 16 fatalities are confirmed, the crash would be the deadliest US hot air balloon accident on record, according to the NTSB. Previously, the highest number of fatalities in a single hot air balloon crash was six.
Texas is said to be the place where balloon flights began. People, especially tourists, ride hot air balloons to reach their chosen destinations at about $400 each passenger.
