Two killed after hot-air balloon explosion in US

Washington, May 11 (IANS/EFE) Two people were killed and one left missing after a hot-air balloon caught fire and exploded aloft during the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival in the US, police said.

The explosion occurred Friday in the state of Virginia, near the US capital. The rest of the festival was cancelled after the accident.

The three passengers were riding in the gondola of the balloon, which according to eyewitnesses, hit a power line and burst into flames.

Corinne Geller, spokesperson for the Virginia state police, told a press conference Saturday that, "the balloon made contact with a live utility wire that in turn sparked a fire."

The remains of one of the balloon's occupants were found soon after midnight Friday in a wooded area of Virginia, while the second victim was found Saturday.

--IANS/EFE

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