Six stranded after balloon hits pylon

Six people were left dangling 70 metres above the ground when their hot-air balloon became tangled in highvoltage power lines in western Germany.

The balloon may have been blown by a sudden gust of air into the cables, with its fabric snagging on the top of a supporting pylon near the city of Bottrop.

Through a stroke of fortune the basket did not brush the lines and the rest of it acted as an insulator from the electricity. The crew tried and failed to shift the balloon before ringing for help.

After the electricity grid shut off the power supply, 15 experienced climbers scaled the pylon. ‘‘The rescue team had to get up there immediately because we didn’t know how stable the basket was,’’ a local fire brigade spokesman said.

The rescuers brought up drinks and chocolate bars to sustain the passengers during the long wait, while a rope was rigged up for their descent.

Back on the ground, a tearful young man told the

that his girlfriend was trapped on the balloon.

As night fell, a police helicopter used its floodlight to guide the passengers down a rescue rope.

The operation involved about 150 people.

The last of

the

six passengers to get out had been stuck for nearly six hours by the time they reached the ground. None of those on board, said to include young adults and the balloon’s crew, was hurt, although two were said to be suffering from mild shock.

Afterwards a specialist team worked overnight to secure the balloon and prepare to bring it down.

AP A hot air balloon sits on top of the pylon of a high-voltage power line in Bottrop yesterday after it snagged on the line the evening before.

AP Six passengers were rescued from this ballon snagged 70m above the ground.