11 killed in New Zealand ballooning accident
January 7th, 2012 - 9:19 pm ICT by IANSWellington, Jan 7 (IANS) Eleven people were killed in New Zealand when the hot air balloon they were enjoying a ride in went up in flames early Saturday, Xinhua reported.
According to New Zealand police, the accident was reported at 7.25 a.m. at Clareville, a small town and a ballooning hub in the lower North Island.
As the balloon was preparing to land, it hit a power line, causing sparking in the basket, said an official Brent Register.
Family members of the balloon’s passengers watched in utter shock as the balloon plummeted on to the field, New Zealand media reported.
The New Zealand government offered its condolences to the families of those killed in New Zealand’s worst air disaster in more than three decades.
The crash was New Zealand’s worst air disaster since an Air New Zealand passenger jet crashed into Mount Erebus in the Antarctic with the loss of 257 lives in 1979.
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Tags: air disaster, air new zealand, ballooning accident, condolences, crash, family members, flames, hot air balloon, hub, jan 7, more than three decades, mount erebus, new zealand government, passenger jet, utter shock, wellington, xinhua, zealand police