Hot Air Balloon Passenger Falls 1,500 Feet to Death in Residential Neighborhood
A man died after falling 1,500 feet from a hot air balloon over the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia on Monday.
The incident occurred about 30 minutes after the balloon took off, and the man's body was found in a residential area. According to TMZ, local witnesses weren't aware of what happened until emergency responders arrived at the scene and police closed off the area to traffic. Residents reportedly heard "a loud bang" before responders showed up, and the incident was said to have caused several power lines to go down.
Authorities have not released details about how or why the man fell, not his identify. However, the death is not being treated as suspicious. Police are speaking with the balloon’s pilot, other occupants in the balloon, and witnesses while they prepare a report for the coroner. As for the hot air balloon, it landed safely several miles away from where the man's body was found.
The National Commercial Hot-Air Ballooning Industry and the Australian Ballooning Federation released a statement about the incident on Monday, expressing condolences to the man’s friends and family.
"Hot-air balloon baskets are designed with safety in mind, specifically to prevent passengers from falling out accidentally or from any accidental exit,” the statement said, per NBC News. “Passengers and the pilot are understandably traumatized by this tragedy and the operator is arranging psychological support and counseling for all affected.”
While police put together what happened, the operator of the hot air balloon will be arranging psychological support and counseling for the witnessed to the tragic incident.
