A hot-air balloon carrying safari-goers over Kenya’s famed wildlife-rich Maasai Mara National Reserve crashed on Friday, killing the British pilot and a female Belgian tourist, officials said.
The 11 other passengers in the balloon — eight Canadians and three Belgians — were injured in the crash that occurred shortly after dawn in the eastern part of the reserve, according to national police spokesperson Jaspher Ombati.
”It crashed about 6.30am, killing two people — a pilot and one tourist — in a remote area of the Mara,” he said. ”The dead were a British and a Belgian national.”
Ombati said the injured passengers were taken to hospitals in Nairobi, where the Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) reported that all were in stable condition.
The exact cause of the crash was still being investigated, but the tourist board said in a statement that an unusually strong wind was to blame.
”Reports from the scene indicate that a freak windy condition caused the accident,” it said.
Witnesses said it appeared that the balloon’s burner had failed shortly after it lifted off.
”The burner failed after they took off and it crashed,” said an employee at the Keekorok Lodge, which is adjacent to the balloon launch site.
The manager of Balloon Safaris, the Nairobi company that operates the service, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The tourist board said the firm is a ”reputable company” that has flown more than 100 000 tourists in its balloons over the Maasai Mara without incident since 1976.
Balloon safaris have become increasingly popular for high-end tourists visiting Kenya’s game parks, enabling them to see animals that are undisturbed by the silent spectators overhead.
The flights, which generally last about an hour and finish with a luxury champagne breakfast in the bush, can cost up to $500 per person. — Sapa-AFP