Ombersley hot air balloon crash: what happened in Worcestershire - after man, 20s, dies in accident

A man has been killed after an accident which saw a hot air balloon catch fire and crash into the ground in a field near Ombersley in Worcestershire. The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday (June 25) morning.

West Mercia Police confirmed that it had received calls of the aircraft coming down at 6.20am, as emergency services rushed to the scene. A man in his 20s was pronounced dead by paramedics and his family is being supported by specialist officers, no one else was injured.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) has opened an investigation into the crash, supported by The British Balloon and Airship Club who paid tribute to the victim in a statement which says: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those involved at this time."

It comes around the time that the Worcester Balloon Festival was hosted in the region, which took place on Friday and Saturday located seven-miles away from the accident. Organisers responded: "There was an incident this morning, under investigation, it wasn't the festival and it was independent. The festival finished last night, it was not connected to the festival."

Here is everything you need to know about the hot air balloon crash near Ombersley in Worcestershire.

What happened in the Ombersley hot air balloon crash?

Bystanders detailed how a 'fireball' had come from the aircraft and plummeted to the ground sharply. Firefighters, paramedics and police rushed to the crash but were unable to save the male pilot who was pronounced dead at the scene.

West Mercia Police said in a statement: "At 6.20am this morning police received a call a hot air balloon had deflated and fallen to the ground near the A449 at Ombersley. The balloon fell to the ground in a field off Holt Fleet Road, near Ombersley Court. Emergency services attended and unfortunately a man was pronounced dead by paramedics."

An eyewitness has told Sky News: "There was a flash and what looked like a fireball coming from a blue balloon and it just dropped like a stone. My wife heard terrible screaming and then silence, we called the emergency services but had difficulty getting through on the 999 number because it was down. We finally got through but it was just too high for anyone to survive. It was a terrible thing to see."

Very little is known as to what led to the tragic accident. This article will be updated as and when further information is made available and confirmed.