2 Dead in Hot Air Balloon Accident Outside of Mexico City

A hot-air balloon pilot pilots a hot-air balloon over Johannesburg, South Africa, May 15, 2022. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham
A hot-air balloon pilot pilots a hot-air balloon over Johannesburg, South Africa, May 15, 2022. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham
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2 Dead in Hot Air Balloon Accident Outside of Mexico City

A hot-air balloon pilot pilots a hot-air balloon over Johannesburg, South Africa, May 15, 2022. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham
A hot-air balloon pilot pilots a hot-air balloon over Johannesburg, South Africa, May 15, 2022. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham

Two people died and a girl was injured after the hot air balloon they were riding in caught fire near Mexico City, authorities said Saturday.

Officials in the state of Mexico, which borders the capital, said the girl suffered burns and a broken arm, The Associated Press reported.

According to a video of the incident posted on social media, the occupants of the balloon appeared to have fallen or jumped from the craft.

The dead were listed as a male, 50, and a woman, 38.

The accident occurred near the pre-Hispanic ruin site of Teotihuacan, just north of Mexico City. The area is a popular location for balloon rides.

The cause of the accident was under investigation.

Teotihuacan, best known for its twin Temples of the Sun and Moon, was once a large city that housed over 100,000 inhabitants and covered around 8 square miles (20 square kilometers).

The still-mysterious city was one of the largest in the world at its apex between 100 B.C. and A.D. 750. But it was abandoned before the rise of the Aztecs in the 14th century.



Ancient Egyptian Coffin Given New Life in Britain

Staff at Swansea University welcome back the artifact. Photo: Swansea University
Staff at Swansea University welcome back the artifact. Photo: Swansea University
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Ancient Egyptian Coffin Given New Life in Britain

Staff at Swansea University welcome back the artifact. Photo: Swansea University
Staff at Swansea University welcome back the artifact. Photo: Swansea University

An ancient Egyptian coffin was given a new life after it has been returned to Swansea University's Egypt Center in Wales.

The artifact, believed to date from about 650 BC, is now back at the university after thousands of hours of conservation work at Cardiff University, where it was painstakingly cleaned, reconstructed and consolidated to prevent it from deteriorating further, according to BBC.

The coffin, originally made for a man called Ankhpakhered in the Greek city of Thebes, was transported back under the watchful eye of the center’s curator Dr. Ken Griffin.

Staff described the finished project as “beyond our wildest dreams.”

“The coffin was gifted to us by Aberystwyth University in 1997 but details about its history are sketchy,” Griffin said.

He added: “It actually ended up being used as a storage box at one time, with other Egyptian objects placed in it for safekeeping.”

The university’s Phil Parkes explained that the wooden coffin was covered in textile and then had a thin layer of decorated plaster over the top.

He said: “Much of that textile had become detached over time and was just hanging loose.”

Parkes added that the separate wooden head was detached and there were a couple of large pieces of wood missing, the side of the base had fallen off and it was in a very sorry condition overall.