Four people were killed and one person is in critical condition after a hot air balloon crashed over the weekend in Eloy, Arizona, authorities said.
At the time of Sunday’s accident, there were 13 people in the balloon, the Eloy police department announced on Monday. “This includes eight parachutes, four passengers and the pilot,” police wrote. “It is important to clarify that the skydive was intentional and was successfully completed by all parachutists before any problems arose with the hot air balloon.”
“Then something catastrophic happened and the balloon crashed to the ground,” police said, according to Fox affiliate KSAZ.
According to ABC affiliate KNXV, witnesses said the balloon was going up and down before it hit.
Police identified the four victims who died as Chayton Wiescholek, 28, of Union City, Michigan; Kaitlynn Bartrom, 28, of Andrews, Indiana; Atahan Kiliccote, 24, of Cupertino, California; and the pilot, Cornelius Van Der Walt, 37, of Eloy, Arizona.
As of Monday, Valerie Stutterheim, 23, of Scottsdale, Arizona, was in critical condition, police said.
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The Eloy Police Department said it is working with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to investigate the crash.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident,” police wrote. “And our thoughts are with Ms. Stutterheim as she receives medical care.”
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Mom Kaitlynn Bartrom spoke to KNXV about her daughter, a registered nurse with Lutheran Health Network.
“It’s kind of sad here at home. We cry about her every now and then and we talk about her every now and then still trying to keep it real,” Jennifer Hubartt told the news outlet. “She was a wonderful person, had recently become an RN and was doing well on her own.”
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Bartrom worked at Fort Wayne Lutheran Hospital on the Advanced Cardiac Therapy floor. In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, hospital spokeswoman Joy Lohse said Bartrom started as a patient care technician and graduated from nursing school within the past year.
“We were deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of Kaitlynn “Katie” Bartrom,” Lohse wrote. “A condolence tree will be set up in the Lutheran Hospital canteen so employees can write their thoughts about Katie, leave them on the tree and then give them to the family in her memory.”
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Source: HIS Education