A tragic incident occurred in Melbourne’s north-east as a man fell from a hot air balloon onto a suburban street, resulting in his death.
Emergency services responded to the scene on Albert Street in Preston after reports came in just after 7:30 am on Monday. Police initiated an investigation, cordoning off the area while speaking to witnesses and occupants of the balloon to ascertain the circumstances.
Footage showed police surrounding the site where the balloon had landed. The incident happened around 15 minutes into the ride that several hot air balloons embarked on from the Yarra Valley. Passengers from a separate balloon flight reported hearing mayday calls regarding the incident.
Shocked residents described waking up to the sound of sirens and a loud thud, with reports of power outages and building damage. While the number of occupants aboard the balloon at the time of the incident remains unclear, authorities are not treating the death as suspicious and will provide a report for the coroner. Albert Street remains closed with traffic diversions in place.
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