Seven injured in hot air balloon accident in France

Seven people were injured on Sunday morning, including one seriously, when a hot air balloon hit a 20,000-volt power line in the territory of the town of Valensole (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), AFP said, Report informs.

The pilot of the machine, aged 45, was electrified and his six passengers, three women and three men aged 47 to 59, were slightly injured.

About fifteen firefighters were mobilized, as well as a medical team from the Smur de Manosque, and the power supply was cut in the sector while the emergency services intervened and the nacelle was removed.

According to the first elements, “the pilot would have been the victim of a technical problem and would have carried out an emergency maneuver, after having lost altitude, in order to land on the ground”, according to a source close to the investigation, entrusted to the Air Transport Gendarmerie.

Several companies offer hot air balloon flights over the Valensole plateau, located near the famous Gorges du Verdon and known for its immense lavender fields stretching as far as the eye can see.