Man dies after falling from burning hot air balloon
A man fell to his death from a hot air balloon while it was burning.
Local outlet Riviera Maya News reported that the incident took place last weekend at the First Balloon Festival under the 2025 Enrique Estrada Fair in Mexico.
The basket of the hot air balloon carrying three people caught fire before it went up.
Per the media outlet, the man helped the two other people on the same ride get out of it before he "became entangled in a rope that lifted him into the air" and fell to his death moments later. He was 40 years old.
Rodrigo Reyes Mugüerza, the Secretary General of the Zacatecas government, confirmed the accident in a Facebook post.
"I regret to inform that, during the celebration of the First Balloon Festival, framed by the Fair Enrique Estrada 2025 organized by the city council of this municipality, a person lost his life after a unfortunate incident while on board a hot air balloon," it read, as translated to English by NBC News.
"Immediately, authorities rushed to the scene to provide care and support to the affected people. We have requested the State Prosecutor's Office to carry out the relevant investigations to clarify the facts and disclose responsibilities," Mugüerza said.
