2025 Santa Catarina hot air balloon crash
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 21 June 2025 |
| Summary | In-flight fire; under investigation |
| Site | Cachoeira de Nova Fátima region, Praia Grande, Santa Catarina, Brazil 29°09′42″S 49°54′50.6″W / 29.16167°S 49.914056°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Golfier Balloons G-32-13000 |
| Operator | Sobrevoar Serviços Turísticos |
| Registration | BR-MEA3 |
| Occupants | 21 |
| Passengers | 20 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 8 |
| Injuries | 5 |
| Survivors | 13 |
On 21 June 2025, a hot air balloon crashed in Praia Grande, Santa Catarina, Brazil, killing 8 of the 21 people on board.[1][2]
It is the deadliest ballooning accident in Brazil and the deadliest worldwide since 2016, when 16 people were killed in a collision between a hot air balloon and power lines near Lockhart, Texas, United States.[3][4]
Background
Praia Grande is a municipality located in southern Santa Catarina, a state in the South Region of Brazil. For being a known destination for hot air ballooning activities, it is called "Brazilian Cappadocia", with around 100 balloon flights daily.[1][5][6][7] Newspaper Clarín reported that hot air ballooning is particularly popular in June and couples usually celebrate Dia dos Namorados (Portuguese for Lovers' Day) on June 12 by doing it.[8]
Hot air ballooning in the country is regulated by the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (Portuguese: Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil, ANAC), which requires specific qualifications for pilots and maintenance of the equipment,[4] although the agency itself considers it as a "high risk" activity and tourist flights in balloons are not regulated.[9]
The balloon had a six-meter-wide basket, the capacity to transport a maximum of 24 people at the cost of R$550 (US$102.04) per passenger and carried out in 45-minute-long trips up to 1,000 meters high.[7] News portal G1 reported that the company involved in the accident is Sobrevoar Serviços Turísticos, which operates in Praia Grande, and that the vehicle had permission to fly.[10] The owner, which suspended its activities indefinitely after the disaster, said it complied with all regulations and had a clean accident record prior to it.[2][11]
It was the second fatal balloon crash in the country in less than a week, when an unlicensed balloon carrying 35 people fell in Capela do Alto, São Paulo state, killing a 27-year-old woman celebrating Dia dos Namorados with her husband and injuring 11 other people six days earlier.[2][8][12] Another balloon crashed near the Maresias beach on the coast of São Sebastião, São Paulo. No injuries or significant damage to houses were reported.[13]
Accident
The pilot, who survived the crash, said that at c. 9:30 a.m. BRT,[14] two minutes into the flight,[15] a fire started inside the basket, forcing him to reduce the balloon’s elevation in an effort to allow the occupants to jump out to safety. However, several occupants failed to jump and the balloon, with the weight relieved, rose immediately, trapping the eight victims who were unable to escape in time.[16] It consequently fell after being deflated by the flames.[1] The fall occurred near a healthcare center,[17] in a wooded area just two kilometers away from the takeoff site.[15] Around 30 military firefighters were dispatched to the scene with the support of several vehicles and an aircraft.[5]
The weather conditions were clear in the region at the time of the accident. Footage shared on social media show the balloon aloft in flames and people jumping from the basket.[10]
Victims
Five injured people, including two with second-degree burns, received treatment at the Nossa Senhora de Fátima municipal hospital.[8] A witness said they observed "a mud-covered woman in a state of shock along with a man limping", as well as two bodies.[2]
Four people were burned to death in the basket and another four died after falling.[10] The deceased—two couples, a mother and her daughter, an ophthalmologist and a figure skater—were from Santa Catarina and neighboring Rio Grande do Sul state, with most of them were in the city enjoying the Feast of Corpus Christi holiday.[1][16]
Investigation
Santa Catarina's public safety secretary Flavio Graff said authorities have opened an investigation and the results will be made public within 30 days. Graff also said according to the state civil police, the pilot has given testimony and they will also gather statements from survivors.[11] The Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (Portuguese: Centro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos, CENIPA), Santa Catarina's Fire Department and Scientific Police will also investigate the causes of the accident.[16][18] ANAC said it is taking "the necessary measures to investigate the situation of the aircraft and crew".[17]
Preliminary investigations indicated that the fire was possibly started with the blowtorch used to produce the hot air.[10]
Reactions
Governor of Santa Catarina Jorginho Mello posted a video expressing sadness for those lost in the tragedy and directing the state structure to provide the assistance needed and check the developments.[2][6]
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his "solidarity with the families of the victims" in a post on his X account, placing "the federal government at the disposal of the victims" and stating that "state and municipal forces" were working on the rescue and care of the survivors.[1]
See also
- List of ballooning accidents
- 2013 Luxor hot air balloon crash, a similar accident in a hot air ballooning destination
- Transport in Brazil
References
- ^ a b c d e Pina, Rute; Lukiv, Jaroslav (21 June 2025). "At least eight dead in hot air balloon accident in Brazil". BBC. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Mendonca, Duarte; Brennan, Eve (21 June 2025). "At least 8 dead after hot air balloon accident in southern Brazil". CNN. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ Takahashi, Luana; Alleoni, Matheus (26 June 2025). "Acidente de balão em SC foi o quinto com mais mortos de todos os tempos" [Balloon accident in SC was the fifth deadliest of all time]. Universo Online (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Tragédias aéreas: os cinco acidentes de balão mais graves dos últimos anos" [Air tragedies: the five most serious balloon accidents in recent years]. Aratu On (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 June 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Capitão dos Bombeiros detalha queda de balão que matou 8 em SC" [Firefighter Captain details balloon crash that killed 8 in SC]. CNN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ a b Mehta, Kalika (21 June 2025). "Brazil: Eight killed, 13 injured in hot air balloon crash". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Cesto de seis metros, R$ 550 por pessoa e voo a mil metros de altura: como é o passeio no balão que caiu em SC" [Six-meter basket, R$550 per person and a flight a thousand meters high: how is the trip in the balloon that crashed in SC]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "'Chocante, cena desesperadora': queda de balão em SC repercute no exterior" ['Shocking, desperate scene': balloon crash in SC has repercussions abroad]. Universo Online (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ Rached Pereira, Manuela; Ojêda, Aigor (21 June 2025). "Anac: Balonismo é atividade de 'alto risco' e voo turístico não é regulado" [Anac: Ballooning is a 'high risk' activity and tourist flights are not regulated]. Universo Online (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d Pacheco, John (21 June 2025). "Oito pessoas morrem em queda de balão que pegou fogo em Praia Grande (SC)" [Eight people die in hot air balloon crash that caught fire in Praia Grande (SC)]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Hot-air balloon in Brazil catches fire and falls from the sky, killing 8 and injuring 13". CTV News. 21 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ Hughes, Eléonore (21 June 2025). "Hot-air balloon in Brazil catches fire and falls from the sky, killing 8 and injuring 13". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 22 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ Souza, Beto (21 June 2025). "Balão cai em Praia Grande (SC): relembre acidentes recentes em passeios" [Balloon crashes in Praia Grande (SC): remember recent accidents on tours]. CNN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ Pacheco, John; Catie, Talita (21 June 2025). "VÍDEO mostra momento em que balão cai em Santa Catarina; acidente deixa 8 mortos" [VIDEO shows the moment a balloon crashes in Santa Catarina; accident leaves 8 dead]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ a b Laurindo, Jean; Rodrigues, Patrick (21 June 2025). "Fotos mostram local da queda e resquícios do balão que pegou fogo e deixou oito mortos em SC" [Photos show the crash site and remains of the balloon that caught fire and left eight dead in SC]. NSC Total (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ a b c Villarroel, Rafael (21 June 2025). "Queda de balão: piloto pulou durante descida de emergência, diz polícia" [Balloon crash: Pilot jumped during emergency descent, police say]. CNN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Acidente com balão em Santa Catarina deixa pelo menos oito mortos" [Accident with balloon in Santa Catarina leaves eight dead]. BBC News Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ "Cenipa investiga causas do acidente com balão que deixou 8 mortos em Praia Grande (SC)" [Cenipa investigates the causes of the balloon accident that left 8 dead in Praia Grande (SC)]. Jornal Nacional (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.