Hot air balloon carrying 34 people in the Netherlands crashes into grassland

Authorities said strong winds caused the hot air balloon, which was carrying 34 passengers, to crash to the ground.

Scene of a hot air balloon accident near the village of De Hoeve, Netherlands - Photo: AFP

According to Reuters, Dutch authorities said at least one person was killed and five others were injured after a hot air balloon carrying them crashed into a grassland in the northern province of Friesland on the evening of August 13 local time.

At the time of the accident, there were 34 people on the balloon.

"The balloon fell rapidly at around 9pm and hit the ground hard," the Friesland provincial government said, adding that police had opened an investigation into the accident.

A spokesman for the Royal Netherlands Aeronautical Society said a sudden gust of wind caused the balloon to plummet to the ground, with five people falling out. The balloon was gradually descending when it encountered strong winds.

According to the NL Times , rescue forces responded on a large scale, deploying 14 ambulances, a mobile medical team, two on-call medical staff, a Red Cross emergency response team...

They have declared a Grip 1 emergency, meaning all response forces will report to a single commander, making coordination easier.

"You can imagine that having 34 people on board a hot air balloon like that immediately created a serious panic situation," said Jan Willem Zwart, a spokesman for Veiligheidsregio Friesland, the agency in charge of local emergency services.

One person died at the scene and five others were taken to hospital for treatment. Rescuers provided first aid to several people before taking them to hospital, Mr Zwart said. He did not comment on the current condition of the injured.

This balloon was launched in the Joure area of ​​Friesland province, and is one of the largest balloons still operating in the Netherlands.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khinh-khi-cau-cho-34-nguoi-tai-ha-lan-roi-xuong-dong-co-2025081416314453.htm