The pilot who was driving the hot air balloon that caught fire in the archaeological zone of Teotihuacán, in Mexico, was arrested when he presented himself to receive medical attention for the burns on his body.
Workers from the General Hospital of Pachuca alerted the authorities when the man entered this place, since he had burns on 90 percent of his face, as well as on his arms and chest.
Víctor Guzmán N was the one who piloted the hot air balloon that on April 1 ended up catching fire, causing the tragedy where two people, Viridiana and José Edgar N, lost their lives, and others were injured.
It is still unknown what caused the fire, whether it was a failure in the gas tanks or human error. The Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) issued a statement where it claims to be investigating these unfortunate events.
Víctor was kept in the custody of the Investigative Police of the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Mexico in the hospital, so that he could receive the medical attention he requires from health personnel.
According to information from The financialIn his first statements, the pilot told the police guarding him that he fled the scene because he did not know what to do, since, apparently, he did not have the training or experience to deal with an emergency like this.
From the Ministry of Tourism, I ask the competent authorities to review the permits for hot air balloons and require safety requirements and expertise of the crew, in accordance with international standards. My deepest condolences to the families of the victims.
– MiguelTorrucoMarqués (@TorrucoTurismo) April 1, 2023
For his part, the secretary of tourism Miguel Torruco Marqués expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims through his social networks and asked that the permits to operate balloons be reviewed and that greater security requirements be demanded.
Let’s hope that action will be taken on the matter soon to avoid as much as possible that something as terrible as this happens again in the future.