Hot air balloon crash in Arizona desert kills 4, leaves one critical

Four people were killed and one critically injured when a hot air balloon crashed Sunday in the Arizona desert, according to a statement from police.

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The accident happened in Eloy, about 65 miles south of Phoenix, The Associated Press reported.

The cause of the incident is not known, though Eloy Police Department officials told media outlets that “something catastrophic occurred with the balloon.”

The department identified the victims of the crash Monday afternoon, according to CBS News. The dead were identified as Chayton Wiescholek, 28, from Union City, Michigan; Kaitlynn Bartrom, 28, from Andrews, Indiana; Atahan Kiliccote, 24, from Cupertino, California; and Cornelius Van Der Walt, 37.

Der Walt, who lived in Eloy and was originally from South Africa, was the pilot, the network reported. Police identified the critically injured victim as Valerie Stutterheim, 23, from Scottsdale, Arizona.

The hot air balloon was initially carrying 13 passengers, according to Eloy Mayor Micha Powell. Eight of the passengers were skydivers.

Eloy Police Chief Byron Gwaltney said at a press conference that the crash happened shortly after the skydivers completed their jump from the balloon.

“What we know at this point is the skydivers were able to exit the balloon without incident and completed their planned skydiving event, and then shortly thereafter something catastrophic happened with the balloon, causing it to crash to the ground,” Gwaltney said.

Bartrom’s family had earlier identified the 28-year-old registered nurse as one of those killed, according to CNN.

“She was a beautiful person. She recently became an RN and was making it on her own,” Jennifer Hubartt, Bartrom’s mother said.

Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were at the scene and took over the investigation from Eloy police.

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