Man Clings To Hot Air Balloon As Crowds Watch On In Horror

A man in Mexico clung from a hot air balloon as crowds looked on in horror. Watch the nerve-jangling scenes here:

The footage - which was reportedly recorded in Teotihuacan last week - shows a man hanging from the edge of a hot air balloon as it drifts up into the sky.

Onlookers could be heard screaming as a group tugged ropes in a bid to pull the hot air balloon back to the ground.

However, as he edged closer to the safe earth below, the man lost his grip and plunged several metres. Mercifully, he was able to break his fall by grabbing onto a rope, before at last being lowered back to the ground.

Authorities are now investigating the hot air balloon company, as well as similar businesses in the area, to ensure they have the necessary permits and security measures.

Newsflash

A few years back, a hot air balloon in Australia had to make an emergency landing after it caught on fire.

There were 15 passengers and a pilot onboard the balloon which took off from Wanden Park, before grounding around 45 minutes later, with the basket destroyed by the flames.

One passenger, a 27-year-old woman, was taken to hospital suffering from minor injuries as a precaution, but there were no other injuries.

The National Commercial Ballooning Industry issued a statement that read: "The pilot, one of Australia's most experienced commercial hot air balloon pilots with approximately 5500 hours in command, flew the aircraft under challenging circumstances and managed to land the balloon safely, then evacuate the 15 passengers and himself."

7 News

Despite the safe - or at least relatively safe - landing, the balloon itself was destroyed.

The president of the Australian Ballooning Federation, Martin Tregale, said: "It was a fantastic effort by the pilot to get everyone safely on the ground."

Just a few days before that, three newly engaged couples had to be rescued from a tree by firefighters with chainsaws after a change in the wind saw their hot air balloon blown off course.

That meant that the pilot had to try to avoid power cables and trees that were nearby so he could get the 10 passengers to the ground safely.

Thankfully, no one was hurt.

Topics: World News, Mexico

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey