Two Spanish tourists were killed and three others injured Tuesday, October 18 in Cappadocia, tourist region of central Turkey, in the fall of their hot air balloon caused by a violent wind, announced the local authorities.
“The hot air balloon (…) made a hard landing at 08:50 (07:50 French time) after the wind unexpectedly picked up“, said the governorate of the province of Nevsehir in a press release. Twenty-eight passengers and two crew members were on board the hot air balloon, which had taken off near the troglodyte monastery of Zelve.
Multiple accidents
An investigation has been opened to determine responsibility, local authorities said. Hot air balloon flights are a star attraction in Cappadocia, known for its cave villages and its “fairy chimneys» sculpted by erosion, but several fatal accidents have already occurred in the past.
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A French diplomat was killed and several people injured in April 2017 after their hot air balloon hit a power line. A Danish tourist had died two months earlier the same year in Cappadocia after a violent landing due to wind. In May 2013, three Brazilian tourists were killed and 22 people were injured when their hot air balloon fell after colliding with the basket of another balloon.
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