A tragedy occurred during a hot air balloon flight in the Dutch municipality of Zundert. A passenger jumped out of the hot air balloon during the flight, while the balloonist had to watch helplessly.
The balloonist himself raised the alarm around 8:30 p.m., after which several ambulances and a trauma helicopter arrived at the scene, BN De Stem reports. The victim's body was found in the garden of a home. Police are investigating the incident and are assuming an intentional jump.
Mayor Joyce Vermue expressed her condolences to the balloonist and the victim's family in a message on Facebook. "This evening (Saturday evening), a drastic incident occurred in which someone jumped from a hot air balloon above Zundert. The person landed in a garden and died. My thoughts and condolences go first and foremost to the family and the balloonist," she wrote. "I can well imagine that many residents saw the incident happen. The weather is beautiful, many people are outside and also when a hot air balloon passes over our village we watch it go by. We are organizing a moment of silence at the end of the afternoon on Sunday for those who need it and want to gather. We will get back to you later with more information. If you need contact earlier please call Victim Support at: 0900-0101."
Illustration picture: © Aaron Jones via Unsplash