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Hot air balloon crash in New Mexico kills 4
Albuquerque Fire Rescue crews work on victims of the fatal balloon crash. - Adolphe Pierre-Louis/The Albuquerque Journal via AP
NEW MEXICO: Four people died and one person was in critical condition after a hot air balloon they were riding in hit power lines in New Mexico's largest city, police said Saturday.
The crash happened around 7 a.m. on Albuquerque's west side, a police spokesman said.
No identities have been released but fire officials said two males, including the pilot, and two females died.
The multi-colored balloon skirted the top of the power lines, sending at least one dangling and knocking out power to more than 13,000 homes, according to police.
The gondola fell about 100 feet (30 meters) and crashed in the median of a busy street, catching on fire, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Bystanders frantically called out for a fire extinguisher to put out the flames, video posted online showed.
The envelope of the balloon floated away, eventually landing on a residential rooftop, police said.
The FAA did not immediately have registration details for the balloon but identified it as a Cameron 0-120.
Authorities haven't determined what caused the crash.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.
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