Six killed in blazing balloon crash

Some witnesses had reported seeing flames

A hot air balloon burst into flames in eastern France early on Sunday morning, killing all six passengers as their relatives watched from the ground.

The balloon, which had taken off from the town of Albertville in the Savoie region, was making its descent to nearby Clery when it struck a 20,000-volt power line.

Laurent Moiron, a fire captain for a regional emergency squad, said investigators were still trying to determine whether the collision had caused the fire.

He said some witnesses had reported seeing flames shooting from the balloon before it hit the power line.

"In either case, the basket of the hot air balloon caught fire, causing the balloon to resume its climb," Mr Moiron said.

The fire caused the balloon's gas canisters to ignite, police said, resulting in a mid-air explosion.

Families in shock

Police said the victims - five adults and a teenager - had burned to death. Two bodies were found on the ground, while a search was on for the remains of the four other victims.

Mr Moiron said firefighters had gone to the scene, but it was too late to save any of the passengers.

The victims' families were in a state of shock after witnessing the accident and were taken to a crisis centre at the Albertville hospital.

Hot air balloons are said to be popular tourist attractions in the region.