Monday, October 08, 2007

One Reported Dead, More Hurt in 2 Hot-Air Balloon Crashes


Journal Staff Report
      One person is dead following the crash of a hot-air balloon near Interstate 25 and Montgomery around 7 this morning, police told the Albuquerque Journal.
    Officials at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta have canceled all of this morning's events because of windy weather and the fatal balloon crash.
    A second crash has been reported in the vicinity of Comanche and Vassar NE, and the downed balloon is in the nearby diversion channel, according to KOAT-TV.
    KRQE News 13 is reporting that the fatal crash near I-25 and Montgomery/Montano occurred when the balloon hit a power line and the gondola tipped over, throwing one person to the ground.
    Several others were injured in the crash, including one person who may have suffered a broken leg, News 13 reported.
    Winds were reported at about 8 to 10 mph during this morning's mass ascension, but observers reported balloons moving in a southerly direction at a very fast clip.