A dream South African safari turns tragic for British family after hot-air balloon accident
A hot air balloon ride which was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime holiday experience turned tragic after a British woman was killed in front of her family after being thrown 20ft when it crashed on landing.
Susan Astle, 48, her husband and sons were on a dream South African safari when gusts flipped the basket as it came in to land.
Mrs Astle and a girl of four, among 14 trippers on board, were thrown to the ground 20ft below, The Sun reports.
She was rushed to hospital but later died from serious head injuries.
The girl suffered serious injuries, and her mother, who also fell out, was critically injured as the balloon was dragged over rocks before smashing into a tree. She was flown to a trauma facility in Johannesburg that caters for children and is said to remain in a critical condition.
Survivors describe having to ‘hold on for dear life’ as the balloon crashed into trees and bushes before flipping over in high winds.
A survivor, Olivia Denny who was part of a group of 14 in the balloon and who the trip was a 70th birthday present from her son, described how a “nightmare” a lovely day out turned into.
“I am just absolutely thankful that we are all alive. It was supposed to be one beautiful day out, but it turned into an absolute nightmare,” Denny said.
Denny said the landing wasn’t what the pilot expected.
“We wanted to land in an open veld, but when we were about to land, the wind just swept us away,” she said.
She said it felt like driving backwards in a car at 40km/h.
“The wind dragged us through the bushes and rocks before we eventually landed between two trees. We had to hold on for dear life.”
A paramedic at the scene near Mooinooi said: “The basket tilted when it was about 20ft from the ground because of wind and the lady and a child fell out before it crashed.
“The woman sustained serious head injuries.
