What was supposed to be a festive day in Zacatecas, Mexico, turned into a scene of horror when a hot air balloon caught fire during the city's First Balloon Festival. A man, later identified as 40-year-old Lucio N, lost his life in the tragedy — a moment that was captured on camera and has since gone viral across social media.
The video, posted by media personality Collin Rugg on X, showed the shocking sequence of events, where Lucio dangled from the balloon before his deadly fall. Rugg captioned it “RIP,” sharing the details from the incident.
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It all unfolded at the Enrique Estrada Fairgrounds, where colourful balloons dotted the sky as part of the celebration. But joy quickly turned to panic when one balloon went into flames while still flying in the air. Inside the basket were Lucio and two other passengers.
Witnesses told the media that Lucio acted with incredible courage. As the fire spread, he managed to help the two passengers out of danger, pulling them from the basket and directing them to safety. But, the 'hero' became helplessly tangled in the balloon’s ropes.
The now-viral video showed Lucio clinging to one of the ropes, the balloon still rising. A while later, he fell and lost his life.
2 survive
Lucio's body was recovered by the local police. Paramedics rushed the other two passengers to a nearby hospital, where they were treated for first-degree burns.
“We regret to inform you that during the First Balloon Festival… a person lost their life after an unfortunate incident aboard a hot air balloon,” said Secretary General Rodrigo Reyes Mugüerza.
