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As many as 16 dead after Texas hot air balloon crash

Officials say there are likely no survivors.

Hot Air Balloon Crash Texas AP Photo / James Vertuno AP Photo / James Vertuno / James Vertuno

OFFICIALS IN THE Texas city of Lockhart say they believe there are no survivors after a hot air balloon crashed.

That would put the death toll at 16.

The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that investigators are determining the number of victims and their identities.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in an earlier statement that the accident happened shortly after 7.40am today local time (1.40pm here) near Lockhart, when the hot air balloon crashed into a pasture. The FAA said there were at least 16 people on board.

TX BALLOON CRASH Apexchange Apexchange

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are going to the scene to investigate.

he land near the crash site is mostly farmland, with corn crops and grazing cattle. Cutting through that farmland is a row of massive high-capacity transmission lines about four to five storeys tall. The site of the crash appears to be right below the overhead lines, though authorities haven’t provided further details about what happened

Texas Governor Greg Abbott asked in a statement that “all of Texas to join us in praying for those lost.”

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13 Comments
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    Mute Jimmy Murphy
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    Jul 30th 2016, 6:17 PM

    Wouldn’t have thought a hot air balloon could carry 16 people. But that’s very sad, horrible thing to happen to people who were just out to enjoy themselves

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    Mute John Galvin
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    Jul 30th 2016, 6:34 PM

    Depends on the balloon of course, but fitting up to 30 people inside the basket is not uncommon.

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    Mute Annette
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    Jul 30th 2016, 7:20 PM

    Hot air balloons must be banned. A safe flight depends on too many variables. Anything that takes people too high in air must have strict regulations like FAA.

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    Mute John Galvin
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    Jul 30th 2016, 7:25 PM

    Um they are governed by the FAA in the US. Accidents happen.

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    Mute Annette
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    Jul 30th 2016, 8:49 PM

    Thanks for the info John. Also for me, accident is a fancy name given to hide human mistakes. There are no real accident.

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    Mute John Galvin
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    Jul 30th 2016, 9:22 PM

    ac·ci·dent
    noun
    1.
    an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.

    I’m pretty sure this event today meets the definition of “accident”. Feel free to debate with the dictionary.

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    Mute gus sheridan
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    Jul 30th 2016, 11:19 PM

    Annette, do a bit of research on the FAA and hot air baloons first before you make comments here.

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    Mute theedgeproductions
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    Jul 30th 2016, 6:13 PM

    When it said in headline “as many as 16 dead” I was expecting a shooting

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    Mute Stephen Duggan
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    Jul 30th 2016, 6:22 PM

    16 people in a balloon, is that normal? Seems like an awful lot to me.

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    Mute Brianán Ní Giolla Bhride
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    Jul 30th 2016, 7:08 PM

    You wouldn’t catch me in one.

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    Mute Larry Doyle
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    Jul 30th 2016, 8:00 PM

    Looking forward to seeing how Trump try’s to pin this on Hilary.

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    Mute Brian Finucane
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    Jul 30th 2016, 9:40 PM

    Yikes! Very dangerous contraptions. RIP.

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    Mute Del Haven
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    Jul 30th 2016, 8:08 PM

    I’ve seen a few videos online of balloons becoming ensnagged on power lines, surely there’s a way to avoid them completely

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