Couple die in hot air balloon tragedy
A hot air balloon disaster above Mexico City has claimed the lives of one couple, and put their seriously injured daughter in hospital, after the basket they were travelling in caught fire.
According to The Daily Mail, 50-year-old Jose Nolasco and his 38-year-old wife Viridiana Becerril - who called the nearby city of Cuajimalpa de Morelos home - were confirmed by Mexican authorities as the fatalities of the accident.
The tragic incident was caught on camera by people who had been nearby, and clips have since surfaced online of the moments the basket burst into flame, and the plunge of desperate passengers falling - or trying to escape - from the balloon.
It is believed that the couple’s daughter - Regina Itzani - was one of such occupants, and she is expected to survive despite suffering a broken arm and second-degree burns.
Authorities have been unable to confirm whether or not a pilot was also onboard at the time of the tragedy - though some believe them to have been a second figure plummeting from the balloon - which occurred while the craft was flying over the pre-Hispanic site of Teotihuacan, north of the city. The location is considered to be a popular one for tourists and hot air balloon rides.
The footage also shows the balloon deflating as the flames threaten to overtake everything, with one onlooker declaring in Spanish that people are falling, while the craft itself appears to still be tethered to the ground. Authorities have not yet confirmed that it was - and if so, why.
As for why the family were taking the trip, social media posts have suggested that Regina and Jose had actually organised the whole experience for Viridiana’s birthday.
“It was the birthday of my daughter Viridiana, Regina’s mum,” Regina’s mother, Reyna Gloria Sarmiento, explained to local reporters, “and they had prepared this ride as a surprise for her.”
She also noted that her granddaughter was in a stable condition in hospital, and that she was conscious, before sharing that Regina had been able to share one final hug with her parents before making her escape from the balloon’s basket.
Authorities are investigating the fatal incident, and although initial reports suggest the fire could be connected to a fault with the fuel storage system on the balloon, nothing has been confirmed.
Meanwhile, officials in the family’s hometown, have shared their condolences for the loss, releasing a statement that reads “we send our condolences to the family, friends and acquaintances of Jose Nolasco and Viridiana Becerril who died in the hot air balloon tragedy in Teotihuacan,' they shared Sunday.
“Our solidarity and prayers are with Regina and we wish her a speedy recovery.”
Images: Twitter