This is the moment a hot air balloon crashed into a primary school on the first day of an international festival.
Shocking images show the balloon flying low before it hits the roof of Oasis Academy Connaught in the Knowle West area of Bristol.
Witnesses described seeing the basket tip as it tried to get back into the air and said it ‘looked like the people were going to fall out’.
Fortunately, the balloon was able to recover and rise again up and over the roof of the school.
Resident Stephanie, 22, a lash technician, who captured the moment said: ‘I thought ‘that one is looking a bit low’ and pressed record.
‘The basket was tilting – it looked like they were going to fall out.
‘It must have been scary.’
The crash happened close to the balloon’s scheduled landing site just after 7am today.
This is the moment a hot air balloon crashed into a primary school on the first day of an international festival
Witnesses described seeing the basket tipping as it tried to get back into the air and how it ‘looked like the people were going to fall out’
Shocking images show the balloon flying low before it hits the roof of Oasis Academy Connaught in the Knowle West area of the city
It was taking part in the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta which kicked off this morning and is due to continue over the weekend.
On the festival’s website, it says that 100 hot air balloons were scheduled to take to the skies at dawn this morning.
A statement reads: ‘The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is a free to attend, three-day event that celebrates the city and its heritage links to the remarkable world of hot air ballooning.
‘From Friday 8th to Sunday 10th August, the rolling hills of Ashton Court on the outskirts of the city of Bristol are home to a temporary playground of entertainment, and a stage set ready and waiting for over 100 hot air balloons to take flight.
‘This iconic event has been a steadfast in the UK’s event calendar for more than four decades.
‘With the city of Bristol playing the best matched host as the birthplace of ballooning in Europe, and now the capital of the sport worldwide.
‘Over the years, the impact of the event has grown far beyond the initial ambitions of a group of friends in 1979.
Balloons are seen taking off and heading into the skies of Bristol this morning as part of an international festival
Fortunately, the balloon was able to recover and rise again up and over the roof of the school
Balloons are seen in the air at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
‘It is now a Bristol institution, and is a synonymous icon, representing the region around the world.’
A spokesperson for the festival described it as a ‘minor incident’ that saw the balloon skim a roof when it was coming into land.
