This photo released by the Santa Catarina Fire Department shows a rescue team member at the crash site in Praia Grande, State of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, on 21 June 2025. Photo: Handout / Santa Catarina Fire Department / AFP
Eight people were killed after a hot-air balloon carrying 21 passengers, including the pilot, crashed in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina, state officials said.
The tourism balloon caught fire during the flight in the early morning hours on Saturday (local time), crashing in a forest area in the city of Praia Grande, according to the state fire department.
The city is a popular tourist spot for balloon trips in Brazil.
The Santa Catarina government estimates that 25 to 30 hot-air balloons depart daily from Praia Grande in peak season, with most of them having the capacity to transport as many as 25 people.
Thirteen survivors were transported to nearby hospitals, according to the fire department. A spokesperson of the department told local news outlet CNN Brasil that none of them were with their lives at risk.
In a post on X, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed solidarity with the families of the victims and said the federal government is available to local and state forces acting in the case.
- Reuters
