Two people died and a girl was injured in a fiery hot air balloon accident outside of Mexico City on Saturday, officials said.
Unverified video on social media shows a hot air balloon catching on fire in the skies above Teotihuacan, the famed pre-Aztec temple site, as onlookers yell and a man’s voices can be heard appearing to yell, “Help me!”
Officials have said a man, 50, and a woman, 38, perished in the crash, while the girl, identified as Regina, suffered a broken arm and burns, the Associated Press reports. The trio appears to have fallen or jumped from the flaming balloon.
It’s unclear if a pilot was aboard the craft when it caught on fire.
The man and woman who died are husband and wife Jose Nolasco and Viridiana Becerril, of Caujimalpa de Morelos, authorities said, according to The Daily Mail.
Photographers captured police and medical personnel on the site of the crash, covering parts of the wreckage in a red tarp.
“It was the birthday of my daughter Viridiana, Regina’s mom, and they had prepared this ride as as a surprise for her,” Reyna Gloria Sarmiento, Becerril’s mother, told local media, according to the Mail.
“The Cuajimalpa Mayor’s Office extends its condolences to family, friends and acquaintances of José Nolasco and Viridiana Becerril who died this morning due to the collapse of a hot air balloon in Teotihuacán. Our solidarity and prayers for Regina, wishing her speedy recovery.
The skies above Teotihuacan are reportedly a popular site for balloon rides.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
“The Cuajimalpa Mayor’s Office extends its condolences to family, friends and acquaintances of José Nolasco and Viridiana Becerril who died this morning due to the collapse of a hot air balloon in Teotihuacán,” local officials said in a statement in Spanish on Facebook. “Our solidarity and prayers for Regina, wishing her a speedy recovery.”
