Fatal fall in Brazil: Pregnant woman dies after falling from hot air balloon

A pregnant woman died Sunday and several others were injured when a hot air balloon carrying about 30 passengers and the pilot, who was arrested, crashed in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, according to official sources.

The accident occurred in the municipality of Capela do Alto at around 7:50 a.m. local time (12:50 GMT), when the pilot "made several unsuccessful landing attempts in unsuitable areas, causing the occupants to fall," according to the São Paulo State Department of Safety.

The deceased was rescued and taken to a local hospital, but he died. A dozen other passengers were slightly injured, according to local media.

The pilot gave a statement at the police station after the crash and was immediately arrested by the police, who are investigating the case as "culpable homicide."

Brazilian authorities reported that the balloon was operating with irregular documentation, as it only had authorization for private flights.

Furthermore, the company responsible for the vehicle had previously been suspended for irregularities, but it returned to offering rides under a different name, "violating safety regulations," explained the mayor's office of Boituva, a town near the accident site.

A hot air balloon championship took place in Boituva this weekend. However, the event organizers stated in a statement that the crashed aircraft was "clandestine" and had no connection to the competition.

One of the passengers told police that the balloon left a municipality near Boituva and landed in a rural area of ​​Capela do Alto, about 25 kilometers away, after a landing maneuver that caused the aircraft to hit the ground twice before coming to a complete stop, according to the G1 website.

A team of experts arrived at the scene to analyze the seized equipment and determine the balloon's manufacturing method, among other key aspects of the investigation.