Tiago Kempinas, 37, and his girlfriend Gabrielle Nascimento, 27, had just got engaged while riding a hot air balloon in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state when the overloaded aircraft plunged back towards earth
This is the bittersweet moment a couple got engaged on a hot air balloon moments before the overpacked aircraft suddenly came crashing back down to Earth, killing one woman and injuring dozens.
The incident took place in Capela do Alto, in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, on the morning of Sunday, 15th June, with the footage showing the moment engineer Tiago Kempinas, 37, proposed to university student Gabrielle Nascimento, 27.
The video shows him asking her to marry him in front of the other passengers as the balloon operator releases hot air into the balloon.
Tiago gives Gabrielle a huge bouquet of flowers and pops open a box with their engagement rings as she says ‘yes’.
The marriage proposal was made high up in the air, moments before the accident which claimed the life of another passenger, named as 27-year-old Juliana Alves Prado Pereira, who was also on a romantic trip with her husband, reports NewsX.
Gabrielle, who was injured in the incident, said: “It was beautiful, until it turned into a nightmare. I’ll never get in a balloon again.”
According to reports, the balloon, which had 35 people onboard but could only carry 24, tried to land twice.
On the first attempt, some people were thrown off.
On the second attempt, passengers panicked and started jumping out of the basket.
The balloon pilot was arrested for manslaughter and for the illegal practice of a commercial activity.
According to the police, he did not have the right paperwork and was only licensed to operate private clinic flights.
It comes after a popular holiday hotspot descended into chaos last week when one person was killed and another 31 injured in two separate shock balloon crashes.
The dozen people were injured near the Ihara Valley in Turkey, a popular holiday destination usually packed with tourists, following a reported hard landing.
The fatal crash took place in a picturesque part of central Turkey, where hot air ballooning is hugely popular thanks to the stunning local landscape.
Among the many local attractions are the well-known “fairy chimney” rock formations of Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage site caused by centuries of unusual erosion.
Updating the public, Aksaray Governor Mehmet Ali Kumbuzoğlu said the pilot died in the accident after his feet became tangled in the hot air balloon’s rope.
He said: “Unfortunately, our pilot got stuck under the basket and died. Our tourists are in good condition. We took them to the hospital by ambulance. They are being examined.”
