Mother, Child Die After Hot Air Balloon Bursts 10,000 Feet In Air, Incident Caught On Camera

In an unfortunate incident, a woman and her daughter fell to their death after their hot air balloon burst in the air. The incident took place in Shandong, China, on Tuesday.

A video of the incident posted on Weibo, a Chinese social media site, showed the mother-daughter duo sitting in two separate seats attached to the balloon. The balloon then took them up in the air. It reaches 10,000 feet before suddenly disappearing. People watched in horror as the victims fell and hit the ground.

Local reports suggested that the balloon burst due to the unusually high altitude as they usually fly at an average height between 1,000 and 3,000 feet.

An investigation revealed the hot air balloon ride was illegal following which a criminal case was registered against its operator. It was suspended and people who purchased tickets were refunded. Further investigations were ongoing.

The incident comes less than a month after nine people were injured when a hot air balloon crashed in Nevada, Las Vegas. Police said the balloon’s operator was trying to land when the basket tipped over. This resulted in five people, including the pilot being thrown out. The gondola then bounced a certain distance, throwing the remaining passenger out. While eight of the victims escaped with minor injuries, one person was seriously injured and airlifted to a hospital.