Video: Accidents mar world’s largest hot-air balloon festival

It was rough sailing this year at New Mexico’s world-renowned annual hot-air balloon festival.
A series of accidents plagued the 52nd Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, including the collapse of a radio tower caused by a hot-air balloon colliding with it.
This is not the first time that tower has been struck by a hot-air balloon, according to The Associated Press.
The nine-day event draws hundreds of thousands of participants in October to watch the sky fill with colorful balloons, per the event’s website. The fiesta, which started in 1972 with 13 balloons, has grown to include about 600 balloons and 700 pilots.
On Friday, the seventh day of the festival, one of those balloons struck the KKOB-AM radio tower.
Video footage captured the moment the tower collapsed. It did not appear to fall on top of any structures as it came down.
According to AP, Kevin Carhart, a spokesperson for the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, said the three passengers aboard the balloon were not injured and made a safe landing.
A similar incident occurred in 2004, when the same tower was struck by a hot-air balloon, per AP. In that incident, the balloon became wrapped around the tower, trapping the pilot and two passengers, who had to climb down to safety.
The radio tower incident is just one of several that has raised safety concerns at this year’s festival. In addition, three other serious accidents have been reported.
Two balloons struck power lines. One caught fire, while the other caused 13,000 people to lose power for about an hour. No injuries were reported in those accidents, according to AP.
However, a head injury was reported after a balloon struck a tree. The balloon became stuck 25 feet off the ground, and two people aboard had to be rescued.
“It concerns us when balloon flights don’t go as planned,” Tom Garrity, a festival spokesperson, said in a statement, per AP. “Safe flights are our primary goal, so any accident is too many.”