YAMANASHI (TR) – A man suffered fractured bones when he fell after grabbing onto a hot air balloon being blown away by strong wind which ended up flying into the air, police said on Sunday.
The 59-year-old staff member of a hot air balloon ride for an autumn festival in the town of Ichikawamisato grabbed one of the balloon’s ropes to try and secure it when he was lifted some three meters into the air before falling, TV Asahi reports (November 6).
The man was airlifted to a hospital with serious fractures, police said.
The hot air balloon ride lifts children 17 meters high into the sky in a basket attached by four ropes, and staff were preparing to let six children off the ride.
The rope that the victim grabbed became stretched, and the resulting momentum likely caused him to fall, police said.
