Crash of the largest balloon in the Netherlands: one dead, five injured
14 August 23:26
On August 13, the country’s largest hot air balloon crashed in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. During the landing, it abruptly lost altitude, causing five people to fall out of the basket. A 66-year-old resident of the Opsterland community died and could not be saved despite resuscitation attempts.
The incident was reported byDutch News, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The flight started in the town of Joore, with 34 people on board, including two pilots. The balloon monitoring service of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute warned of wind gusts of up to 26 km/h, which is usually safe for large balloons. However, in the area of the accident, wind speeds reached 31 km/h.
According to witnesses, the balloon bounced several times during the landing at around 21:00, causing the passengers to fall out of the basket. “They were seriously injured and needed immediate hospitalization,” rescuer Jan Willem Zwart told Omrop Fryslân.
Fourteen ambulances, an air ambulance, fire brigades and a Red Cross rescue team arrived at the scene. The local authorities provided a bus for the unharmed passengers.
Five victims were taken to hospital, three of them in serious condition. The Dutch Aviation Police has launched an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
