Tourist dies after Turkey balloon fall

Ankara : A Danish tourist died yesterday in a fall during a hot-air balloon sightseeing ride over a UNESCO world heritage site in central Turkey, Danish and Turkish officials said.

The Turkish transport ministry said the individual died after “falling from the balloon which made a hard landing because of strong winds”.

The balloon had been making its descent during a trip over the famed sculpted rock formations in Cappadocia in Nevsehir province.

“Despite every intervention at the hospital, the individual lost life,” the ministry said.

The individual was on the balloon with 20 others, mostly tourists and let go of the handle inside the balloon in a moment of “absent-mindedness” before they fell off, the agency said.

A team from the accident research and investigation board was sent to Cappadocia to investigate the incident, the ministry said.