Hot air balloon pilot lands safely after fire in Malaysia

Hot air balloon pilot lands safely after fire in Malaysia

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia - A hot air balloon, which was featured in the 6th Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, was forced to do an emergency landing after part of it caught fire during an incident at 7.45am yesterday.

The event's organiser, AKA Balloon Sdn Bhd, said in a statement that the balloon's pilot, Steve Kim, made the emergency landing to put out a small fire that occurred when the South Korean-made balloon's envelope struck a tree branch.

The fire was contained within a minute and no injuries were reported.

"We have taken all possible measures to ensure the safety and security of all the balloon crew and, as stipulated by the the Department of Civil Aviation and Putrajaya Corporation, we will continue doing so in future events," the statement said.

The annual festival, which began on Thursday and ended yesterday, features at least 20 hot air balloons from countries such as Taiwan, the United States, China, South Korea and Belgium.

In memory of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the organisers scrapped plans for a fireworks display that was scheduled to be held on Saturday.

 

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