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A hot air balloon causes the radio tower in Albuquerque to collapse during a festival
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A hot air balloon causes the radio tower in Albuquerque to collapse during a festival

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A hot air balloon struck a radio tower and collapsed Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico. the city’s famous festival – the second time in twenty years that a balloon has come into contact with that tower.

There were no reports of injuries, said Kevin Carhart, a spokesman for the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. The balloon, with three people on board, landed safely in a field after hitting the tower.

The tower broadcasts the radio signal for KKOB-AM.

The Aerostar International Inc. S-57A balloon took off from a park as part of the 52nd annual Albuquerque International Balloon Festivalsaid the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating.

It was not clear how high the tower was. News footage of the aftermath showed no other structures in the path of the collapsed tower.

In 2004, a balloon shaped like Smokey Bear’s face was wrapped around a radio tower during the festival, forcing the pilot and two passengers to climb down most of the structure. A festival spokesperson confirmed to The Associated Press that it is the same tower where a balloon struck on Friday.

A balloon crashed into a power line earlier this week in Albuquerque on the third day of the festival, leaving nearly 13,000 customers without power for nearly an hour.

The celebration is one of the world’s most photographed events, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators to New Mexico each fall to look up at more than 100 balloons in bright colors and special shapes.