Man dies after falling from hot air balloon
A man has died after falling from a hot-air balloon and landing in a suburban Melbourne street.
Paramedics were called to Albert St in Preston about 7.30am on Monday.
A man’s body was found on the street, with police saying he was riding in a hot air balloon at the time of the incident.
Dozens of police are on the scene, with the road taped off and closed in both directions.
A neighbour said his brother heard a “loud bang” before the sound of sirens filled the quiet suburban street.
“I actually only heard the sirens,a lot of them” he told Today.
“My brother heard like a loud bang, almost like something like a large item falling in your house. And it wasn’t until we heard all the sirens that we came out.”
Power lines were strewn across the road and a white sheet was laid on the footpath, Today reports.
The balloon landed safely at Yarra Bend Park shortly after the incident, with multiple other balloon passengers in the area reporting hearing a mayday call over the pilot’s radio, Sunrise reports.
The balloons left Yarra Valley at the same time shortly after 7am and were about 15 minutes into the flight when the incident occurred.
SES crews and firefighters also rushed to the scene in what appeared to be a major emergency response.
Police are currently speaking to the other occupants who were inside the balloon at the time and other witnesses to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
The death is not being treated as suspicious.
It is not the first time a hot air balloon has been involved in a serious incident in Melbourne.
A balloon, with 13 passengers and a pilot on board, collided with an Ellwood apartment building during an emergency landing in April 2022.
Three passengers sustained minor injuries.
In July of the same year, two balloons collided just 6km south of Alice Springs Airport. The balloons were not damaged and there were no injuries, with both flights carrying on without further incident.
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