Eight people died and 13 others were hurt after a hot air balloon caught fire and crashed in Praia Grande, Brazil. The balloon had 21 passengers when the fire broke out mid-flight.

The balloon was run by Sobrevoar Serviços Turísticos, a company that followed all aviation rules and had no past accidents. Police and witnesses said the fire started inside the basket.

The pilot, who survived, told police: “A fire started inside the basket, so he started to lower the balloon, and when the balloon was very close to the ground he told people to jump.” Thirteen people jumped and survived, but some couldn’t escape in time.

The police officer said: “They started to jump, but some people did not manage to. The flames started to grow and because of the weight, the balloon began to rise again. It later fell because of a loss of suspension.”

The chief of police said the wind was strong at takeoff, and a truck was pulling the balloon with a cable that moved a lot. This might have caused a gas leak leading to the fire.

The pilot told investigators the fire probably started from a backup burner in the basket. “I don’t know if it stayed lit or if it reignited on its own, but it was the torch that started it all,” he said.

Some passengers died from burns in the basket, and others died from the fall after jumping. The victims included couples, a mother and daughter, an eye doctor, and a figure skater.

Survivors were taken to hospitals for treatment. The police chief said three victims were found holding each other. “It hurts the soul,” he said.

Witnesses described seeing people fall while on fire, and the balloon breaking apart and crashing. Emergency teams arrived quickly, and smoke was still rising from the site.

The local governor said in a video: “We are in mourning; what happened is a tragedy. We will investigate why this happened. But the important thing now is to do everything possible to reach out to the people and the families.”