A hot air balloon hit a high-voltage transmission line in central Turkey and crashed near a popular tourist destination on Sunday, killing a French tourist and injuring at least seven people, the transport ministry said.
Turkey’s Ministry of Transport said the balloon was carrying 20 passengers, including six foreigners, when it hit the electric line during its descent in Cappadocia due to adverse wind conditions.
“A French citizen lost his life and seven people – four of them Turkish and three foreigners – were injured,” the statement said.
Turkish civil aviation experts were investigating the crash.
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Cappadocia is a popular tourist destination, known for its volcanic rock-formations, underground cities and churches carved into mountainsides.
Nevsehir governor Ilhami Aktas said 81 hot air balloons lifted off Sunday in Cappadocia to give tourists a scenic view of the historic site.
Hot air balloon tours were suspended Wednesday due to bad weather but resumed Saturday with the permission of civil aviation authorities, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The Cappadocia region has seen several recent hot air balloon accidents. A Danish tourist was killed in Cappadocia in February when a balloon made a hard landing, and 49 people were injured in March when three balloons made hard landings amid strong winds.