At least eight people were killed when a hot air balloon with 21 people on board caught fire in the south Brazil Saturday.

Jorginho Mello, state governor Santa Catarina, where the incident took place, took on X to express his condolences.

In one video, he said: “We are in mourning. A tragedy has happened. We will see how it unfolds, what happened, why it happened. But the important thing now is for the state structure to do what it can.”

Mello said he has asked authorities to go to the municipality “to do as much as possible to escape, help, take to the hospital, to comfort families.”

Videos taken from passers -by and carried on Brazilian television showed the moment when the balloon burst into flames over the coastal town of Praia Grande. The weather conditions were clear as the basket carrying the passengers fell tens of meters to the ground.

“According to the pilot, who is one of the survivors, a fire began inside the basket and then he started lowering the balloon,” Folha de Sao Paulo quoted, quoted Paia Grande police officer Tiaz Lemos quoted.

“When the balloon was very close to the earth, he ordered people to jump out of the basket. Some of them failed to jump. The fire grew and the balloon ended up falling,” Lemos added.

Praia Grande, on the Atlantic coast, is a popular destination for hot air balloons in Brazil, especially during June celebrations celebrating Catholic saints like Saint John.

The second fatal balloon accident in the country in just a few days. Less than a week ago, a woman died during a hot -air balloon trip to the southeastern state Sao Paulo.

Edited by Sean Sinico