1 killed and 19 injured as a hot air balloon crashes in central Turkey

ISTANBUL (AP) — A hot air balloon crashed in central Turkey on Sunday, leaving its pilot dead and 19 Indonesian tourists injured, a local official said.

In a statement, the governor’s office said the balloon was affected by a sudden change of wind.

It was trying to make a hard landing near the village of Gozlukuyu in Aksaray province, when the pilot fell out of the balloon’s basket and his feet got tangled in a rope, Aksaray Governor Mehmet Ali Kumbuzoglu said.

“Unfortunately, our pilot got stuck under the basket and died,” he said, adding that the injured tourists were taken to a hospital.

Hot air ballooning is a popular tourist activity over the rugged landscape of central Turkey, which is dotted with ancient churches hewn into cliff faces. The attractions include the “fairy chimneys” of Cappadocia — the tall, cone-shaped rock formations created by natural erosion over thousands of years that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Video from Ilhas News Agency showed one deflated balloon, its passenger basket lying on its side, as emergency services tended to injured people. An investigation is underway.

State-run Anadolu Agency said another hot air balloon taking off from the same location of Ilhara Valley also made a hard landing early Sunday morning, and that 12 Indian tourists were slightly injured and taken to hospital.

Two Spanish tourists were killed in 2022 when a hot air balloon made a hard landing following a sightseeing tour of Cappadocia.