Hot air balloon accident in China kills four Dutch tourists

Four Dutch tourists were killed and another wounded in a ballooning accident in southern China on Wednesday.

The victims, two couples in their fifties, were part of a group of 14 Dutch tourists on an organised tour through China.

On Wednesday morning they were scheduled to take a balloon trip over the rice fields, the limestone peaks and the rivers near the city Yangshuo.

The first of three balloons landed on a burial mound after being in the air for 45 minutes. "The bizarre thing is that a funeral was going on and the moment they landed and a lot of fireworks went of," said Wim Verwoerd, who was in one of the other balloons at the time.

The basket of the balloon tipped over and caught fire when it landed. One of the tourists, a 76-year-old Dutchman, and the Chinese pilot fell out, with clothes burning. As a result, the lightened balloon and the two couples flew up in the air again.

"I didn't see it for myself," Verwoerd told NRC Handelsblad, "but they probably jumped from the burning basket at an altitude of 50 to 60 metres. There was no explosion." He said he did later see one of the victims lay meters away from a freshly dug grave.

The weather had not been ideal for the trip. There was a strong wind and sight was limited because of a low-lying fog. One of the pilots decided to return to the ground after only 15 minutes because of these circumstances. One tourist thought the trip was irresponsible and chose not to participate. It is unclear why the pilot of the unfortunate balloon chose to land on the burial hill instead of on flat ground.

Chinese media reported the company that rented out the balloons did not have a licence. The Yangshuo police could not confirm the allegations but announced an investigation.