2 dead in hot air balloon accident outside of Mexico City

2/4/2023 11:13

        Two people died and a girl was injured after the hot air balloon they were riding in caught fire near Mexico City, authorities said Saturday. Officials in the state of Mexico, which borders the capital, said the girl suffered burns and a broken arm. According to a video of the incident posted on social media, the occupants of the balloon appeared to have fallen or jumped from the craft. The dead were listed as a male, 50, and a woman, 38. The accident occurred near the pre-Hispanic ruin site of Teotihuacan, just north of Mexico City. The area is a popular location for balloon rides. The cause of the accident was under investigation. Teotihuacan, best known for its twin Temples of the Sun and Moon, was once a large city that housed over 100,000 inhabitants and covered around 8 square miles (20 square kilometers). The still-mysterious city was one of the largest in the world at its apex between 100 B.C. and A.D. 750. But it was abandoned before the rise of the Aztecs in the 14th century.