2 passengers, pilot burned after hot air balloon struck power lines

LOWELL, Ind. — Three people in a hot air balloon were hurt when it floated into power lines in Indiana and crashed to the ground.

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Lowell Fire Department said on Sunday around 7 p.m., crews were called about a hot air balloon flight emergency and that the balloon may have made contact with power lines.

The crash happened about an hour south of Chicago, CNN reported. The hot air balloon eventually landed in a bean field, according to WMAQ.

Officials said there were two passengers and a pilot in the hot air balloon at the time of the incident, according to The Associated Press. Fire officials said that all three people were burned. The passengers were taken by helicopter to hospitals in Chicago. The pilot was taken to a hospital in Indiana.

Some of the burns were severe, according to CNN.

The fire department said that the National Transportation Safety Board was contacted about the incident and that the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the crash site and damage to the balloon. The NTSB is leading the investigation, the AP reported.

The names of the passengers and the pilot have not been released.

“They deal with power lines all the time and go through a lot of training,” Patrick Cannon, president of the Balloon Federation of America said, according to the AP. “Power lines can be very difficult to see from the air because they blend in with the terrain.”