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Recent balloon tragedies

CanWest News Service
Published: Saturday, August 25, 2007

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A balloon crash which killed two people and injured 11 others in Surrey, B.C.
Friday night was not the only recent dangerous incident involving the
lighter-than-air craft. Some other recent balloon tragedies:

-- On a Saturday evening in July, 2001, a gust of wind sent a hot air balloon
into powerlines, causing it to burst into flames and crash in a field south of
Ottawa.

The crash killed a 15-year-old daughter of a popular hot air balloon festival
organizer, despite attempts by the father -- who was piloting the craft -- to
pull her from the flames.

Witnesses had to restrain 40-year-old Jean Boileau, a professional hot air
balloon pilot and director of Gatineau Balloon Festival, who made several
unsuccessful attempts to save his daughter.

The next year, Boileau was awarded a Medal of Bravery by then-Gov. Gen.
Adrienne Clarkson for his attempt to save his daughter. Todd Briscoe, 32, and
his brother Wade Briscoe, 38, both of Pembroke, were also awarded medals for
their heroic roles in the incident.

-- Ten passengers and their hot air balloon pilot had a close call back in
Ottawa, during the summer of 2002, when their craft drifted into a highrise
apartment building.

The basket of the balloon made light contact with a balcony but its canopy
snagged something on the top of the 12-storey building and tore, said a
passenger. On board was a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary.

-- In February, 2006, eight Winnipeg tourists went to hospital in Nairobi
after a hot air balloon taking them on an airborne safari crashed on a Kenyan
game reserve.

"Some strong winds erupted and they couldn't relight the burner on the
balloon and so it crashed," said Winnipeg's Darren Lewis, whose mother, Helen,
was one of the Canadians hurt.

Two - the pilot and a woman from Belgium - were killed in the crash.

-- Earlier this month, a hot air balloon carrying 12 people, including at
least one child, crashed and burned in a field north of Winnipeg. Three people
were taken to hospital after the balloon smashed into a farmer's field, about 30
kilometres north of the Manitoba capital.

Witness Wes Lesard, who was one of the first on the scene, said he saw the
balloon hit the ground and bounce a few times, and then saw an explosion. "I
figured something was going wrong because when it hit the ground it bounced and
it kept on bouncing," said Mr. Lesard, who is a nursing student.

"When I saw that I just started running. People were running all over the
place, and the balloon literally just blew up. It was a massive explosion."

- with a file from Reuters

© CanWest News Service 2007

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