A tragic air balloon crash killed four people and critically wounded a fifth Saturday morning, Albuquerque authorities announced.
At around 7 a.m., the colorful balloon hit power lines and caught flames. Two women and two men were pronounced dead at the scene. They were aged between 40 and 60 years old. One person was listed in critical condition.
The wreck landed 100ft. below on a median of a busy street where people, shocked to spot the blazing gondola falling from the skies, called 911.
The envelope of the Cameron O-120 landed on the roof of a residential building. The cause of the incident remains unclear, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
“Our balloonists tend to be very much experts at navigating, but sometimes we have these types of tragic accidents,” Police Spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said.
He added that at least 13,000 homes were without power following the crash that cut off the cables supplying the city’s west side.
