Hot air balloon crashes near Abu Dhabi, 2 killed
April 26th, 2010 - 2:46 am ICT by Aishwarya BhattDubai, Apr 25 (THAINDIAN NEWS) A hot air balloon crashed near Abu Dhabi. At least 2 people were killed in the mishap, and several people were injured. Amongst the dead are an Indian national and a French national. The hot air balloon had 14 passengers on board. According to the General Civil Aviation Authority the hot air balloon crashed at around 6 am on Sunday, near the village of Suwaihan, which is located to the east of Abu Dhabi.
An investigation has already been launched to find out the reasons behind the tragedy.
“Two passengers, one French national and one Indian national, died in the accident and one ground crew staff member from Tanzania were injured. The pilot and 13 passengers took off early on Sunday morning in light winds, however soon after takeoff the wind picked up significantly and the pilot decided to make an emergency landing,” Dubai-based Balloon Adventures Emirates (BAE) said in a statement. The statement also said that the injured people were taken to the hospital. The people who had serious injuries were under intensive care at a hospital. Most of the injured had sustained minor injuries.
“We are in contact with the relevant authorities in the UAE and in France. We are also in contact with the family to provide assistance,” the French embassy said in a statement.
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Tags: abu dhabi, bae, balloon adventures, civil aviation authority, crashes, dubai, emirates, french embassy, french national, ground crew, hot air balloon, intensive care, light winds, minor injuries, mishap, relevant authorities, staff member, sunday morning, takeoff, uae