Three die in Spanish balloon blaze

Three people died when a hot air balloon promoting a religious festival caught fire over the northwestern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela today.

The balloon hit a building or a power cable, said Nieves Bernal, spokeswoman for a yearly procession of Catholic pilgrims to the cathedral of Santiago, where St James the apostle is buried.

“The burning balloon rose into the sky as the occupants fell to the ground,” Bernal said.

She said the people died from the fall, not the fire.

The balloon was carrying a promotional message for the Way of Saint James, she added, but it did not belong to the regional government agency organising the festivities.

Bernal said it was not immediately clear who owned the balloon.