A 50-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman died while a girl was hurt during a hot air balloon ride Saturday near a historic site outside Mexico City.
Authorities say their hot air balloon caught on fire noting the girl suffered burns on her body and a broken arm, the Associated Press (AP) reported Sunday.
A bystander recorded the scene showing the blue and white balloon high in the air and the basket connected to it appeared to be on fire. At one point, something appeared to fall out of the basket and plunge to the ground below.
Moments later, the balloon seemed to be floating freely into the sky as people on the ground cried out in horror.
WARNING – GRAPHIC VIDEO:
NEW 🚨 Two dead after hot-air balloon flying over the famed Teotihuacan archeological site near Mexico City caught fire
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) April 1, 2023
“The accident occurred near the pre-Hispanic ruin site of Teotihuacan, just north of Mexico City. The area is a popular location for balloon rides,” the AP article said, noting the incident was currently being investigated.
The Daily Mail described the people involved as a married couple, Jose Nolasco, his wife Viridiana Becerril, and their daughter. The outlet also noted the incident happened not long after they had taken a family photo together.
The photo shows the group and the report said the couple was from a community known as Caujimalpa de Morelos which is just over 10 miles from the site.
Husband, 50, and wife, 38, perish in hot air balloon fire over Mexico City ruins https://t.co/gdwjSJDDZQ pic.twitter.com/bZzAWDS1Bl
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) April 2, 2023
The Mail report continued:
The pair’s daughter, identified as Regina Itzani, was also on the balloon, cops said, but is expected to survive. She is thought to have jumped from the balloon, sustaining a broken arm and second-degree burns in the process.
Reports concerning her age have so far been conflicted, with some indicating she was 13 and others saying she was 23. A pilot also may have been on the balloon – which had been flying over a pre-Hispanic pyramid site – but has yet to be located.
When law enforcement arrived at the scene where the balloon landed, they covered what was reportedly the couple’s bodies with a red tarp.
The girl had not yet been informed her parents were dead, according to her grandmother, Reyna Gloria Sarmiento.
The woman also noted it was Regina’s mother’s birthday and the ride was a surprise gift.
In addition, the Mail reported that some outlets said the incident could be connected to a problem with the fuel storage system.
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