Officials: No apparent survivors in Texas balloon crash

LOCKHART, Texas -- A hot-air balloon carrying at least 16 people caught on fire and crashed Saturday in central Texas, and there did not appear to be any survivors, authorities said.

Authorities would not confirm the exact number of deaths, but Lynn Lunsford with the Federal Aviation Administration said the balloon was carrying at least 16 people and the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office said in a statement it didn't look like anyone survived.

If 16 people were killed, it would be one of the worst such disasters, possibly the worst in U.S. history.

The deadliest such disaster happened in February 2013, when a balloon flying over Luxor, Egypt, caught fire and plunged 1,000 feet to the ground, crashing into a sugar cane field and killing at least 19 foreign tourists

Saturday's crash happened about 7:40 a.m. in a pasture near Lockhart, about 30 miles south of Austin.

Authorities have not said where the hot-air balloon was based or which company was flying it, though Caldwell County Sheriff Daniel C. Law said it's the kind of situation where people can walk up and buy a ticket, unlike an airplane, which would have a list of names.

The land near the crash site mostly is farmland, with corn and grazing cattle. Cutting through that farmland is a row of massive high-capacity transmission lines about 4 to 5 stories tall. The site of the crash appears to be right below the overhead lines, though authorities haven't provided details of what happened.

Margaret Wylie lives about a quarter-mile from the crash site. She said she was letting her dog out Saturday morning when she heard a "pop, pop, pop."

"I looked around and it was like a fireball going up," she said, noting the fireball was under large power lines and almost high enough to reach the bottom of them.

Wylie, who called 911, said the weather seemed clear, and she frequently sees hot-air balloons in the area.

Erik Grosof of the National Transportation Safety Board said at a news conference the agency has deemed it a major accident and a full-bore investigation will begin today, when more federal officials arrive.

Robert Sumwalt, who will lead the NTSB's crash investigation team, said he was studying the board's recommendations to the FAA based on previous hot-air balloon crashes.

Sumwalt, who spoke while waiting to board a plane to Texas, said the team still was trying to gather basic information about the accident.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asked in a statement for "all of Texas to join us in praying for those lost."