Accessibility links

Breaking News
USA

At Least 16 Die in Crash of Hot Air Balloon in Texas


Police cars block access to the site where a hot air balloon crashed near Lockhart, Texas, July 30, 2016. At least 16 people were on board the balloon, which a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said caught fire before crashing into a pasture.
Police cars block access to the site where a hot air balloon crashed near Lockhart, Texas, July 30, 2016. At least 16 people were on board the balloon, which a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said caught fire before crashing into a pasture.

At least 16 people were killed early Saturday morning in the crash of a hot air balloon in Texas, officials said.

A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said the balloon caught fire during its flight and crashed into a pasture, killing all aboard.

Local authorities were trying to confirm the identities of the victims. The FAA was investigating, and officials from the National Transportation Safety Board were also on their way to the scene.

A spokesman for the NTSB confirmed that the crash resulted in a "significant loss of life." He also said there would be a "significant investigation into this tragedy," involving local, state and federal authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The crash took place in an area of farmland about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Austin, the state capital.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott acknowledged the crash in a statement, calling on "all of Texas to join us in praying for those lost."

  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG