A young South African was one of 11 people who died in a hot-air balloon crash in New Zealand at the weekend.
The balloon caught fire after hitting a power line as it was landing 90km north of New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, on Saturday, police said.
Chrisjan Jordaan, 21, and his girlfriend, Alexis Still, 19, were on board with four other couples and the pilot. Two of the passengers apparently died when they jumped from the balloon’s basket in a bid to save their lives.
“As the balloon was preparing to land, it hit wires on a power line, causing sparking in the basket,” police inspector Brent Register said.
“At this point, two of the 11 people on board, believed to be a male and a female, appear to have jumped from the basket.”
Register said the balloon then made a sharp ascent, a fire ignited on board and it plummeted into a field.
The New Zealand Herald reported that Jordaan and Still had been together for a year after spending time on a church mission to Africa together. Jordaan, a South African, moved with his family to New Zealand.
- Pretoria News/IOL
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