Eyewitnesses said they saw the balloon in flames and heard screams for help
(Photo: AP)
Doswell, Virginia: A hot-air balloon is believed to have caught fire and crashed in the US with three people aboard, state police said.
Eyewitnesses said they saw the balloon in flames and heard screams for help during the incident on Friday.
Virginia State Police received calls about a balloon crash shortly before 8 pm (1300 GMT), police spokeswoman Corinne Geller told a news conference.
She said a pilot and two passengers were believed to be on board, and that police believe it was the balloon's gondola that caught fire after it apparently struck a power line.
Geller said police had not yet found any wreckage but planned to search throughout the night, initially by ground and by air if weather allowed.
The apparent crash happened near the Meadow Event Park in Caroline County, site of the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival, according to the news reports.
The festival was scheduled to begin officially on Saturday, but had been holding a special kick-off event on Friday for a limited number of people.
( Source : AP )
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