WEB DESK
At least 16 people were killed in the crash of a hot air balloon in Texas in United States. A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said, the balloon caught fire on Saturday during its flight and crashed into a pasture, killing all aboard.
Local authorities were trying to confirm the identities of the victims. The crash took place in an area of farmland about 50 kilometers south of Austin, the state capital.
The accident took place shortly after 7:40 am (1240 GMT), when the balloon crashed outside of Lockhart, around 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Austin, Lynn Lunsford of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.
“It does not appear at this time that there were any survivors of the crash,” the Caldwell County sheriff’s office said.
“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 a statement posted on Twitter.
Margaret Wylie, who witnessed the crash, told broadcaster TWC News Austin that she first heard a “woosh” then popping before seeing the flames.
“I didn’t see the balloon hit. I just heard the popping. And I heard the popping, and then the next thing I knew is the fireball went up,” she said.