Hot air balloon crashes into power lines in Bottrop
Louisa Wright with dpa
October 1, 2018
Six people have been rescued after their hot air balloon crashed into power lines in the western German city of Bottrop. Rescuers had to individually abseil the passengers down to safety in an hours-long operation.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Seidel
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A hot air balloon carrying six people collided with an electricity pylon in the western city of Bottrop on Sunday evening, police said.
The balloon became entangled on the power lines some 70 meters (230 feet) above the ground on Essen Street in the town of Bottrop.
A fire department spokesman said all six passengers had been rescued, with the last person brought down at about 11:20 p.m. local time, more than five hours after the balloon crashed. The six were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
Initial reports said the passengers were unharmed and were able to communicate with the fire brigade by phone.
In a tricky rescue operation, the power was cut off at the affected area and authorities secured the balloon's basket to ensure it would not fall any further, a fire department spokesman said. The passengers were then rescued one-by-one by abseiling down a rope to safety.
The spokesman said the passengers had been lucky that only the balloon and not the basket had come into contact with the power line, as the balloon does not conduct electricity.
In June, a hot air balloon crashed in the nearby region of Münsterland, injuring six people.
Full of hot air: The history of big balloons
Bonn's Balloon Festival in June is one of many occasions to feed our fascination with hot air balloons. Here's a look at their long history - from man's first aerial means of transport to Olympic torch carrier.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Pleul
Up, up and away
A ride in a hot air balloon is a romantic adventure. It's not as boring as a picnic - it's up in the air! But it's also not as terrifying as parachuting or bungee jumping. Today, most hot air balloons are used commercially. You can rent them out for a ride or print your company's logo on them and send them up as a mobile aerial billboard. But they've been used for more unusual purposes as well.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Pleul
The Montgolfier balloon
The first untethered, manned hot air balloon flight took place in Paris on November 21, 1783 in a balloon created by the Montgolfier brothers. King Louis XVI originally decreed that convicted criminals should be aboard - in case something went wrong - but aviation pioneer Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis François d'Arlandes successfully petitioned for the honor.
Image: picture-alliance/Heritage Images
The technology
What we see as the balloon, the giant shape above the wicker basket, is called the envelope. It's usually made of nylon, with an inner layer of fire-resistant material. The flame comes from a propane burner. The hot air blast into the envelope makes it rise and lifts the whole operation off the ground because it has a lower density than the colder air outside the envelope.
Image: Imago/S. Spiegl
Military balloons
Hot air balloons played a part in both World Wars. In World War I, observation balloons came into fashion. Artillery observers were sent up in them close to the front line, which allowed them to see targets at greater range than they could on the ground. In World War II, barrage balloons like the ones pictured were used by the British military to intercept German air attacks.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/U.S. Signal Corps
Spectacular escape
Former East Germany wasn't keen on letting its citizens leave - the Wall was meant to keep them in. But in September 1979, two families managed to escape the oppressive Communist regime. The Strelziks and the Wetzels took off from Thuringia in a home-made hot air balloon with their children, aged two to 15 years. They safely made it to freedom in Bavaria.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Around the world in a hot air balloon
Virgin tycoon Richard Branson tried four times to circumnavigate the globe nonstop in a hot air ballon. Here, his balloon is seen above the Himalayas in December 1998. It crashed into the Pacific close to Hawaii due to bad weather shortly after this. In March 1999, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones managed the feat.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Boccon-Gibod
Adventure-filled torch relay
In the run-up to the Olympic Summer Games in Brazil in 2016, the torch relay also included a stint on a hot air balloon. On May 4, the Olympic Torch took to the air in the Brazilian city of Corumba de Goias. The flame also traveled down a zip-line, hang-glided and caught rides on a stand-up paddleboard, a donkey and a steam train.
Image: Getty Images
Colorful channel crossing
On April 7, 2017, a fleet of 85 hot air balloons crossed the English Channel, leaving from Dover in the morning and landing in Calais, France, less than three hours later. Organizers are liaising with officials to have their event recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest number of hot air balloons to cross the English Channel. The last record stands at 49 balloons.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/V. Jones
Balloons in Bonn
In June 2017, the western German city of Bonn will host its ninth Balloon Festival. Participants from across Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands will show off their balloons and offer rides to curious visitors - not for free of course. Tickets for a balloon flight start at 180 euros, or 202 US dollars.
