At least eight people have died following a hot air balloon crash in the city of Praia Grande, in southern Brazil.
The quick-thinking pilot made a move that saved the lives of 13 people.
The aircraft, carrying 21 people in total, horrifically caught fire while traveling through the air metres high, as onlookers caught footage of the incident.
The fire ripped through the balloon before swiftly crashing to the ground, taking the lives of several people onboard.
Ulisses Gabriel, chief of police for the Santa Catarina state, revealed that several people were needed to hold the balloon to the ground prior to take off, and that winds were very clearly ‘quite strong.’
Speaking to Brazilian broadcaster, Globo News, he said: “There was a truck pulling the balloon with a cable, which was moving very intensely from side to side.”
The police chief believes that despite the balloon being flame-retardant, a possible gas leak occurred during the intense movements, which ultimately caused the balloon to burn.
Local media reported that a ticket for the hot air balloon ride was 550 Brazilian real (around $100), and that passengers were supposed to be in the sky for 45 minutes.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took to X (formerly Twitter) with a statement.
He says: “I wish to express my solidarity with the families of the victims of the accident involving a hot air balloon that occurred this Saturday morning in Santa Catarina.
“And to place the Federal Government at the disposal of the victims and the state and municipal forces working on the rescue and care of the survivors.”
Eyewitnesses revealed seeing people staggering from the balloon, as one woman was covered in mud and in a ‘state of shock,’ while a man with her ‘was limping.’
However, one instruction that the pilot gave during the blaze, potentially saved the lives of the 13 survivors on board.
As the balloon sank to the ground, he told people to jump out of the aircraft when it was very close.
Speaking from Praia Grande police station, officer Tiago Luiz Lemos, said: “According to the pilot, who is one of the survivors, a fire started inside the basket, so he started to lower the balloon, and when the balloon was very close to the ground he told people to jump.
“They started to jump, but some people did not manage to. The flames started to grow and because of the weight, the balloon began to rise again.
“It later fell because of a loss of suspension.”
He noted that people on board started to get desperate, and that those who stayed in the balloon ultimately died of burns.
The cause of the incident is still being investigated, but speculation is running rife.
The main hypotheses that are being looked at include adverse weather conditions and human error.
The location is famous for its hot air balloon excursions, and is even known as Brazilian Cappadocia.