ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Police and fire crews responded to a fatal hot air balloon crash just after 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning in the area of Central SW and Unser. Officials say four people died in the crash, two men and two women – one of the men was the pilot. The fifth passenger was sent to the hospital in critical unstable condition where he later died from his injuries.
Authorities say a catastrophic error occurred while in the air and the gondola detached from the envelope. According to witnesses, the gondola crashed into power lines that run east-west along Central near the CVS Pharmacy. The gondola caught fire and crashed into the roadway at Unser Boulevard, south of Central.
PNM officials confirmed about 13,777 customers were without power. Power was restored shortly after 11:00 a.m.
Multiple viewers sent video of the envelope falling from the sky after it had detached from the gondola. None of the below videos show people falling from the balloon.
Police say all five individuals were believed to have been in the gondola when the crash happened. The victims range in ages between 40 and 60 years old.
Central has been reopened, however, Unser remains closed just south of Central due to the ongoing investigation. Motorists are advised to avoid the area. This is a developing story and News 13 will provide updates as they become available.
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