13 people boarded the balloon, including eight parachutists who escaped the accident unharmed.
At least four people were killed and one was injured in the crash of a hot air balloon in the Arizona desert Sunday morning, according to local police.
The crashed hot air balloon landed in a rural desert area east of Sunshine Boulevard and Hanna Road and about five miles from Eloy, Arizona, around 7:30 a.m., the Eloy Police Department (EPD) revealed in a statement on line.
Although the cause of the crash is not yet known, EPD said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were on scene and had taken over the investigation.
FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro confirmed that five people were aboard the balloon when it crashed. news week reported.
During a news conference, Eloy Mayor Micah Powell said 13 people had boarded the balloon, including eight skydivers who exited the gondola before the accident and were uninjured.
“What we know at this time is that the skydivers were able to exit the balloon without incident and completed their planned skydiving event, and shortly thereafter something catastrophic happened to the balloon that caused it to crash to the ground,” the police chief said. Eloy, Byron Gwaltney. during the press conference.
One of the five remaining passengers on the gondola died at the scene, three others died at a hospital and the fifth person remains in critical condition. news week reported.
“The Eloy Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of those involved in this heartbreaking incident,” the department said.
Eloy is a town of about 16,000 residents in Pinal County and has hosted skydiving championships and attracts tourists to Eloy from “countries all over the world,” according to Powell.
He described the area as a “close-knit” skydiving community.
