Baloon fiesta ends with tragedy

Baloon fiesta ends with tragedy

A woman was killed in the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta on Monday. During the flying the basket of a hot air balloon tipped after hitting power lines and the passenger fell out.

The unidentified woman and the pilot were believed to be the only people on board.

The pilot was trying to land the balloon and had thrown out a tether line when the balloon began to rise again, striking nearby power lines and tipping the basket. It was not clear if the landing was planned or an emergency.

The crash site is about 4.8 kilometers from the launch site for the fiesta, a nine-day event that began Saturday and features special-shaped balloons and competitions for balloon pilots.