Safety always came first for Manisnya Cinta di Cappadocia director, Bernard Chauly and the film production crew while filming in Cappadocia, Turkey.

One of the scenes in the movie, feature actor Shaheizy Sam and Fazura riding in a hot air balloon over the historical region in Central Anatolia, a World Heritage site.

Following the accident on Wednesday, Bernard told Astro AWANI that the crew took note of the risks involved in filming in a hot air balloon and practiced all the safety procedures that were required.

“While filming in Cappadocia in May 2013, we realised the high risks involved, especially when an accident happened before the cameras rolled. We put high priority in working together with the best hot air balloon company with an excellent safety record, an experience pilot and also to take an insurance policy,” he said.

He added, all activities had their own risks, including hot air ballooning.

“Accidents have always occurred during hot air ballooning activities but we made sure we obtained the services from a reputable company,” Bernard said.

He also hoped those who were injured in the incident would recover quickly to continue with their activities.

“Incidents such as this are never expected. I will follow closely the developments of the incident and hope those injured will recover soon. It really is unfortunate that a Chinese national, identified as Tang Yi, had died in the incident,” he said.

The film Manisnya Cinta di Cappadocia is currently showing in movie theatres nationwide.