30-person hot air balloon crash kills 2 tourists

Two Spanish visitors were murdered and three others were injured after a hot air balloon made a harsh landing in central Turkey on Tuesday, officials reported.

The disaster occurred in the province of Nevsehir in the Cappadocia region of Turkey, where hot air balloons soar above picturesque canyons and volcanic cones.

The governor’s office of Nevsehir issued a statement attributing the disaster to a “sudden rise in wind.” It was stated that emergency services came to the scene of the accident promptly.

On board the balloon were 28 tourists and two crew members. According to the statement, none of the victims suffered a life-threatening injury.

300 kilometers south of Ankara, the Cappadocia region is renowned for its “fairy chimney” rock formations, underground cities, and cathedrals carved into mountainside.

Each year, millions of tourists visit the region.

At sunrise on October 3, 2022 in the Goreme area of Nevsehir, Turkey, hot air balloons float in the sky. Cappadocia, which is on the UNESCO World Legacy List as one of the most significant tourism centers due to its natural, historical, and cultural heritage, organizes every morning for tourists hot air balloon rides that provide a bird’s-eye perspective of the region. Behcet Alkan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

In recent years, there have been multiple tragic balloon incidents.

In 2013, three Brazilian tourists were killed and 22 others were injured when two hot-air balloons collided.

A Danish tourist was killed in 2017 when a balloon crashed due to strong winds.

Two months later, a French diplomat and several other individuals were killed and injured when their balloon collided with a power wire.

In 2021, a hot air balloon crashed into electrical wires in Albuquerque, New Mexico, killing five people.

AFP contributed to the creation of this report.