Couple die after hot air balloon catches fire

Video footage has shown the moment a hot air balloon caught fire and fell to the ground, killing a couple and seriously injuring their daughter.

A Mexican couple was killed and their daughter seriously injured when their hot balloon caught fire and plummeted to the ground in Mexico City on Saturday.

Jose Nolasco, 50, and his wife Viridiana Becerril, 38, died during the shocking accident, which was caught on video and posted to social media, New York Post reports.

According to the Daily Mail, Mexican authorities said their daughter, Regina Itzani, broke her arm when she jumped from the fiery basket. Despite her broken arm and second-degree burns, she is expected to survive.

Jose Nolasco, 50, and his wife Viridiana Becerril, 38, took a selfie with their daughter, Regina, just before the tragic accident. Picture: Facebook

The family, from the city of Cuajimalpa de Morelos, was on a joyride over the pre-Hispanic ruin site of Teotihuacan, a popular tourist area.

It’s not clear if a pilot was on board the balloon, which appeared to still be tethered to the ground.

The bystander’s video showed the basket engulfed with flames. The balloon deflated quickly after, and the basket fell to the ground as occupants appeared to either fall out or jump out.

The basket was shown on fire in the video of the tragedy.

“My God, people are falling,” one onlooker said in Spanish, according to the Daily Mail.

It wasn’t clear who departed the balloon.

On Sunday, Mexican police said they are still investigating what caused the fire, the outlet said, though initial local reports said it could be linked to the fuel storage system.

The family took a selfie just before their tragic ride.

The horrific accident shocked bystanders, who watched from the ground.

Mexican authorities are investigating the fire’s cause.

Social media reports said the trip was a birthday present organised by Regina and her dad, Jose, for Viridiana, the Daily Mail said.

“It was the birthday of my daughter Viridiana, Regina’s mum, and they had prepared this ride as a surprise for her,” said Regina’s grandmother, Reyna Gloria Sarmiento.

Mexican authorities investigating the wreckage. Picture: Alex Cruz/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Ms Sarmiento also said her granddaughter, whose age was not included, remained in a stable condition.

She had hugged her parents before leaping from the balloon, the grandmother said.

Despite the tragedy, fatalities in hot air ballooning are relatively rare.

Each year globally, there are around 3000 hot air ballooning incidents, but the vast majority of these don’t result in deaths.

In Australia, more than 250,000 people go up in hot air balloons each year.

However, while our safety record is one of the best in the world, Australia did have one of the world’s worst hot air balloon accidents in 1989 at Alice Springs when two balloons collided, killing 13.

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and is republished here with permission