All 16 people were confirmed dead after a hot air balloon caught fire in flight and crashed into a pasture near Lockhart, Texas, according to local authorities Saturday.
The accident occurred around 7:45 a.m. near Jolly Road north of Cistern Road, which is in the Maxwell area, Caldwell County sheriff’s officials said in a statement.
Sheriff Daniel Law said they responded to a 911 call about a possible vehicle crash. When emergency responders and sheriff’s officials arrived, it was apparent the reported fire was the basket portion of the hot air balloon, according to the statement.
According to FAA officials, the balloon, which authorities said was from company Heart of Texas, crashed after striking a high-voltage power line in the area and catching fire.
The land near the crash site is mostly farmland, with corn crops and grazing cattle. Cutting through that farmland is a row of massive high-capacity transmission lines about 4 to 5 stories tall. The site of the crash appears to be right below the overhead lines.
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BREAKING NEWS: Report: 16 killed in Texas hot air balloon crash. pic.twitter.com/nLqu5VpqtQ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 30, 2016
.@GovAbbott issues a statement on the hot-air balloon crash in Lockhart: pic.twitter.com/eNg44T0Pax
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) July 30, 2016
Heidi and I lift up in prayer all who have been impacted by today’s tragic accident in Lockhart https://t.co/BinrPJrEjX
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 30, 2016
Here's @SenTedCruz's statement on the hot-air balloon crash in Lockhart: pic.twitter.com/rGjUf7xsFo
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) July 30, 2016
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