TRAGEDY

Hot Air Balloon Crash Kills Four in Albuquerque

The balloon fell 100 feet to the ground after crashing into a power line, officials said.

Four people are dead and a fifth is critically injured after a hot air balloon crash in Albuquerque. Fire rescue teams responded to the scene at 7 a.m. Saturday to find the balloon had struck power lines and fallen 100 feet to the ground, according to Albuquerque Fire Rescue spokesman Tom Ruiz. Four people, including the balloon pilot, were pronounced dead at the scene. The fifth was rushed to the hospital in critical and unstable condition. The cause of the crash is unknown but Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Gilbert Gallegos suggested high winds could be to blame. “Our officers who arrived first on scene had a tough time when they saw what they saw,” Gallegos said. “These things are just horrible anytime they happen.”