All 11 PEOPLE on board a hot air balloon have been injured after it crashed while landing on New Zealand’s South Island.
Two of the people involved suffered serious injuries and were airlifted to hospital after the incident near Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu, authorities said.
Sunrise Balloons said the hour-long trip had been uneventful and was operating within normal wind speeds when the pilot attempted to land on a private airstrip just before 10am local time (11pm Irish time).
The firm said in a statement: “On approach, the balloon was caught by a sudden wind gust and the basket containing passengers impacted with a low bank.”
Medics said that the injured people were scattered over an area the length of a football field.
“So, responding to those patients, and understanding what the situation was, took some time based on the length of the scene,” David Baillie, an operations manager for St John Ambulance, told TVNZ.
According to the company, the balloon basket ended up near a driveway while the balloon fabric was draped over a power line.
The two seriously injured passengers were taken by helicopter to Dunedin Hospital. The pilot and the eight other passengers were treated for minor or moderate injuries and later released.
Sunrise Balloons owner and chief pilot Hugh McLellan said the company was “deeply upset” about the incident and the injuries sustained to their pilot and guests.
The company said it has temporarily stopped further flights and is cooperating with police and aviation authorities investigating the incident.
All the passengers were New Zealand residents, the company said.
New Zealand closed its borders to foreign tourists more than a year ago due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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