A hot air balloon carrying at least 16 people caught fire and crashed into a pasture in Texas Saturday morning, federal officials told The Associated Press. The crash happened near a small city called Lockhart in Caldwell County south of Austin around 7:40 a.m. Central time. There were no survivors.
The Texas Department of Public Safety initially announced multiple fatalities, and Caldwell County later confirmed all the passengers were killed. "Investigators are determining the number and the identities of victims at this time," said the local sheriff, Daniel Law. Agents of the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are headed to the site of the incident.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement Saturday morning extending his "deepest condolences" and asking his state to join in prayer for those who were lost.
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