A Virginia Hot Air Balloon festival had been officially scheduled to begin on Saturday, but was cancelled after a hot air balloon burst into flames and crashed at a special kickoff event Friday for a limited number of people.
The body of one occupant that was aboard the hot air balloon that caught fire and crash was found as police search for two others who are feared to be dead, Virginia State Police said.
AP/Nancy Johnson
The three were in a balloon Friday night when witnesses say they saw the balloon start to crash amid screams for help.
The body was discovered in a heavily wooded area shortly before midnight, state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said Saturday. The balloon and gondola carrying the pilot and two passengers have yet to be found, she said.
Due to the time that has elapsed since the 8 p.m. Friday night crash, the search for the two missing occupants has turned from a rescue to a recovery operation, Ms. Geller said. More searchers were called in Saturday to assist with efforts.
Police received eyewitness reports that two occupants either fell or jumped from the fiery balloon after it struck a power line.
The hot air balloon crash happened near the Meadow Event Park in rural Caroline County, where the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival was being held. The area is approximately 15 miles north of Richmond.
Some hot air balloons landed safely in Debra Ferguson’s yard, the Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg reported. She said one of the men in the balloons pointed at another still in the air and said he thought he may be in trouble.
“As soon as we looked up, the thing blew up right there,†Ms. Ferguson told the newspaper. “All I heard was, ‘Oh my God, Oh my God,’ and all you saw was the top of the balloon still flying, but all of the basket was gone. All of the flames just disappeared
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