I shouldn’t make jokes. It’s a rather sad story. A hot air balloon in Brazil was filmed catching on fire before falling from the sky, killing eight people and injuring thirteen others. 

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his condolences for the victims on Twitter stating, “I would like to place the Federal Government at the disposal of the victims and the state and municipal forces that are working on the rescue and care for the survivors.”

According to CNN, this was the third hot-air balloon crash in Brazil in the last week following an incident where an unauthorized balloon carrying 35 people went down on Sunday, killing one person. The pilot behind that crash was arrested. The other crash happened last Thursday off the coast of São Paulo, though no serious injuries were reported during the incident. 

So note to self/everyone else: Next time I’m/you’re in Brazil, skip the hot air balloon ride. 

Balão pega fogo e cai em Praia Grande em Santa Catarina, imagens de grupo de WhatsApp. pic.twitter.com/uSADC0jZfc

— Rangel Campos Machado (@rangelmachado87) June 21, 2025

Another shocking video is making waves online, and this one is hard to watch. It captures the hot air balloon engulfed in flames, forcing passengers to jump from the basket as it plummets to the ground. pic.twitter.com/T9UdVOXxQX

— Uncensored News (@Uncensorednewsw) June 21, 2025