South Korea’s Hot Air Balloon Accident Causes 1 Dead and 12 Injured

Hot air balloons are fun to ride as you get to see the whole view of a particular place when you are high up in the air. 

But accidents do happen. A hot air balloon in South Korea crashed and caused 1 dead and 12 injured!

This is scary! 

According to Channel News Asia, the accident happened at 8am today. The hot air balloon crashed into a hill in the city of Seogwipo on Jeju Island just now.

A witness alerted the firefighters as he was collecting edible wild plants nearby the scene of crash. Hence, the witness immediately called fire fighters for help.

The pilot of the hot air balloon was alive when he was found at the scene of the crash but had suffered from a cardiac arrest.

He was then rushed to a hospital but was later pronounced dead. The other 12 passengers on the hot air balloon was immediately rushed to the hospital too and they suffered several injuries. 

The hot air balloon was operated by a local popular hot air balloon company called Oreum Hot Air Tour. The balloon was heading to a ranch in the city before it crashed into a hill. 

While investigations are underway to find the cause of the accident, local authorities believe that the hot air balloon collided with a tree and lost altitude while it was landing. Hence, it is later resulted in crashing into a hill. 

Accidents do happen, and we cannot control when and where it would happen. To prevent accidents from happening, we need to be extra careful when we go on high-risk adventures.

RIP to the pilot of the hot air balloon, our deepest condolences to their family and friends.

Written by: Chan Suet Yee