Injured survivors tell of hot-air balloon carrying 32 people hitting ground at speed and subsequent blaze
A hot-air balloon carrying tourists, including children, has plunged to the ground in flames just outside the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, killing four people and injuring a further 28, the police have said.
The balloon was ablaze when fire fighters arrived, fire chief Tomaz Kucic told the official STA news agency.
"We were landing but I think the speed was too high. We hit the ground, bounced off once, and hit it again. We held on but five of us fell out," a survivor, Tomaz Simec, told Kanal A television.
Police recovered the four bodies, charred beyond recognition, STA reported.
Six children were among the injured, according to Slovenian news website 24ur.
Most of the 32 people on board – 30 passengers, a pilot and a co-pilot – were Slovenian nationals, with three Italians and one Briton, a police spokeswoman told Reuters television.
A video on 24ur showed a police helicopter hovering above a cornfield at Ig, just outside Ljubljana, where the balloon hit the ground at 8am local time.
The area was cordoned off while police combed it for hours with dogs in search of the victims.
The cause of Thursday's accident was unclear. STA said the balloon had requested permission to land about 15 minutes before it crashed.
"We do not know what caused the accident and the investigation is still ongoing," the police spokeswoman said.