An Italian fishing trawler on Monday found the bodies of two United States balloonists who went missing over the Mediterranean in September, the commander of the main port in the area told Agence France-Presse.
“The trawler put out its nets just after midnight. When they pulled up, the entire balloon came up including the basket with two corpses inside,” said Giancarlo Salvemini of the port of Manfredonia in southern Italy.
Two Americans, Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer-Davis, who were participating with their USA2 balloon in the Gordon Bennett International Gas Balloon Race over Europe, went missing in the area in stormy weather on September 29.
Salvemini said an identity document for Rymer-Davis was found in the pocket of one of the two bodies. But he said a visual identification was not possible because the bodies were “in a bad state” after more than two months at sea.
The balloon was found around 12 nautical miles from the shore and six nautical miles from its last known location before it plunged.
The port commander said: “They probably got tied up in the basket. Otherwise it’s practically impossible for the two bodies to have stayed inside.”
The bodies are currently in a mortuary in the small fishing port of Vieste and US consular authorities have been contacted, Salvemini said.
The basket and other remains of the balloon retrieved, including the metal structure and balloon bag, have been taken by investigators.
The Gordon Bennett balloon race was sponsored by British tycoon and celebrity balloonist Richard Branson. The winner is the pilot who flies the furthest from the starting point in Bristol, England. — AFP