After jumping from a hot air balloon that burst into flames, a couple died and their teenage daughter suffered severe injuries. Jose Nolasco, 50, and his wife Viridiana Becerril, 39, were killed in the mishap near Teotihuacan, a pre-Hispanic ruin site just north of Mexico City. Regina Itzani, 13, is in the hospital with a broken arm and second-degree burns, but she is expected to live. The family posed for a selfie just moments before the hot air balloon caught fire, and it was later revealed that the trip was a surprise birthday present Regina and her father had planned for Viridiana.
Regina's grandma, Reyna Gloria Sarmiento, told the local press that the teenager had not yet been informed that her parents had died. 'It was the birthday of my daughter Viridiana, Regina's mother, and they had prepared this ride as a surprise for her,' she continued. Gloria disclosed that her granddaughter was 'conscious' and stable in the hospital and that she had hugged her parents before jumping out of the hot air balloon. An onlooker captured footage of the tragedy, which showed the hot air balloon deflating as flames engulfed the basket below, where the Mexican family was enjoying their journey. As a person fell to the ground, an onlooker could be heard saying in Spanish, 'My God, people are collapsing.' It was unclear whether that individual was Regina or the pilot of the hot air balloon, who is said to have been the second person to jump out of the basket as it burned.
His whereabouts were thought to be unclear. An inquiry into the tragedy is still underway. According to preliminary local accounts, the cause could be a fault in the fuel storage system.
'We offer our condolences to the family, friends, and acquaintances of Jose Nolasco and Viridiana Becerril who perished in the hot air balloon disaster in Teotihuacan,' said town hall officials in Caujimalpa de Morelos, west of Mexico City, where the family came from. 'Our hearts go out to Regina, and we wish her a quick recovery.'
By Covenantblog
