A 26-year-old hot air balloon pilot died in an accident at an international balloon festival south of Montreal, Canada, on Sunday morning reports national broadcaster CBC and the Canadian Press. No passengers were aboard. The festival was taking place in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, in the province of Quebec.
The pilot, Maxime Trépanier, was rushed to hospital, and later died, reports CBC.
“It’s a tragic day,” a spokesperson for the festival told CBC. A festival spokesperson told the Canadian Press the accident happened after the balloon landed and Quebec provincial police Sgt. Audrey-Anne Bilodeau said investigators are trying to determine the cause.
In 2007, a hot air balloon accident in Surrey, in the province of British Columbia, shocked Canadians. When the balloon caught fire, two died and 11 were injured; the balloon then crashed into a trailer park.
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