SHOCKING footage shows the moment a hot air balloon crashed into a primary school during one of the world’s biggest festival.
The balloon was flying alongside hundreds of others on the first day of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.
A hot air balloon hitting the roof of Oasis Academy Connaught in Bristol[/caption]
It was spotted flying too low before colliding[/caption]
But it managed to right itself in the end[/caption]
Video showed the balloon at dangerously low heights before hitting the roof of Oasis Academy Connaught in Bristol, close to the scheduled landing site at 7.11am.
The balloon basket was seen tipping as they tried to get back into the air and it “looked like the people were going to fall out”, said a witness.
But thankfully the balloon was able to recover and rise again up and over the roof of the school.
Resident Stephanie, 22, a lash technician, who captured the moment said: “I thought ‘that one is looking a bit low’ and pressed record.
“The basket was tilting – it looked like they were going to fall out.
“It must have been scary.”
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta attracts hundreds of thousands of people and is the largest hot air balloon festival in Europe.
There were cheers this morning as green smoke blew to announce the decision to release the first of five planned ascents of balloons.
The balloons are heading eastwards and south eastwards over the city towards Keynsham and Hanham.
The free event takes place from Friday August 8 to Sunday 10, with flights scheduled at 6am and 6pm.
Visitors can also enjoy night-glows and entertainment at the site.
It’s the 47th year of the festival in the city which attracts pilots from all over the world and includes hundreds of different shaped balloons.
It comes after doctors and a teacher were among the victims of the tragic hot air balloon crash in Brazil that left eight people dead.
The hot air balloon was seen going up in flames before crashing on the ground in June.
The craft was carrying 21 passengers, including the pilot, when it crashed in Praia Grande in the south of Santa Catarina – a tourist destination known for hot air balloon rides.
Thirteen people, including the pilot, miraculously survived and were rushed to the hospitals, the local fire brigade said.
But eight people tragically lost their lives after the unfortunate crash.
Shocking footage showed the balloon engulfed in fire swinging mid-air before the passenger basket broke off and plummeted to the ground.
The pilot explained that a fire broke out, possibly caused by a blowtorch in the basket.
Hot Air balloons take to the sky during the mass ascent on the opening day of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta[/caption]
The world-renowned festival is in its 47th year[/caption]
Source
