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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.
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