According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Cameron 0-120 hot air balloon struck the power lines about 6 miles west of the Albuquerque International Sunport Airport and caught fire, NBC News reported.
Albuquerque police responded to the incident around 7 a.m.
"Unfortunately, 4 individuals died as a result of their wounds from the hot air balloon crash," the police department said in a tweet early Saturday morning. "One additional individual was transported to a local hospital and is currently in a critical and unstable condition."
On Saturday afternoon, Albuquerque police said that the man who had been "transported to the hospital succumbed to his wounds."
"Our prayers go out to the friends and family of all five people who tragically lost their lives," police tweeted on Saturday afternoon.
Fragments of a hot air balloon fell from the sky after a crash in Albuquerque, New Mexico killed five people on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/WH5qWfRDAA
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 26, 2021
The male adult who was transported to the hospital succumbed to his wounds. Our prayers go out to the friends and family of all five people who tragically lost their lives.
Three of the victims are men and two others are women, according to authorities. While their names have not been released, Albuquerque Fire Rescue officials said Saturday afternoon in a statement that "one of the deceased male patients was the pilot of the balloon."
Police estimated the age range of the victims to be between 40 and 60 years old.
