Eleven injured in New Zealand hot air balloon crash

At least eleven people were injured when a hot air balloon crashed near a home in the rural town of Arrowtown, located on the South Island of New Zealand.

Two of the injured are in serious condition, while one person has moderate injuries and the other eight have minor injuries according to a statement from the St John Ambulance Service, which sent two helicopters and four ambulances to the scene of the accident.

A witness told the news portal NewsHub that the hot air balloon was flying very low, trying to land unsuccessfully in a meadow before crashing to the ground near a house, although these facts have not been corroborated by the authorities.

It is also not clear if all the injured were traveling in the hot air balloon, nor the reasons why this Sunrise Balloons company aircraft crashed to the ground.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission began preliminary investigations of the events, according to public broadcaster Radio New Zealand.

In 2012, 11 people died when a hot air balloon crashed near Carterton, on the North Island, because the pilot made a mistake in judgment when trying to overcome a power line he was heading to, according to the Stuff news portal.