Hot air balloon crashes near Winnipeg

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Hot air balloon crashes near Winnipeg

Michelle Melanson, CanWest News Service

Published: Sunday, = August=20 12, 2007=20

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WINNIPEG - A hot air balloon carrying 12 people, including at least = one=20 child, crashed and burned this morning in a field north of Winnipeg.

Three people were taken to hospital after the balloon smashed into a = farmer's=20 field, about 30 kilometres north of the Manitoba capital.

Two are reported in critical condition and one is described as = stable. Nine=20 others were treated at the scene and released or taken to a nearby = hospital.

Witness Wes Lesard, who was one of the first on the scene, said he = saw the=20 balloon hit the ground and bounce a few times, and then saw an = explosion.

"I figured something was going wrong because when it hit the ground = it=20 bounced and it kept on bouncing," said Lesard, who is a nursing = student.

"When I saw that I just started running. People were running all over = the=20 place, and the balloon literally just blew up. It was a massive = explosion. "It=20 was at least 15 feet high, as high as the... balloon was," Lesard = said.

Lesard's partner, Jackie Arbez, a nurse, was also at the scene.

"(Wes) already had the first gentleman down on the ground and he was=20 seizuring on and off because he was in shock so when the ambulance got = there we=20 waved him down and said this guy needs treatment first," Arbez said.

"We helped them get the oxygen on and get him covered up and put an = IV in=20 him. Once they had him settled, Wes stayed with him, and the paramedics = and I=20 went to the second gentleman who had 30, 40 per cent burns to his body. = He was=20 saying: 'Don't let me die, my son's here, don't let me die.'"

The RCMP has turned the investigation over to the Transportation = Safety Board=20 of Canada.

Another witness said hot air balloons frequently land in the = area.

However, he said he sensed something was wrong with this landing, as = the=20 balloon appeared to be coming in too low and too quickly.

The reason for the accident and the condition of the victims are not=20 known.

Winnipeg Free Press

=C2=A9 CanWest News Service 2007

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