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Hot-air balloon Strikes, Collapses Radio Tower in Albuquerque During Festival

This image made from a video provided by Curt Fargo shows a radio tower collapsing after a hot-air balloon struck it during the famous festival in Albuquerque, N.M., Oct. 11, 2024. (Curt Fargo via AP)
This image made from a video provided by Curt Fargo shows a radio tower collapsing after a hot-air balloon struck it during the famous festival in Albuquerque, N.M., Oct. 11, 2024. (Curt Fargo via AP)
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Hot-air balloon Strikes, Collapses Radio Tower in Albuquerque During Festival

This image made from a video provided by Curt Fargo shows a radio tower collapsing after a hot-air balloon struck it during the famous festival in Albuquerque, N.M., Oct. 11, 2024. (Curt Fargo via AP)
This image made from a video provided by Curt Fargo shows a radio tower collapsing after a hot-air balloon struck it during the famous festival in Albuquerque, N.M., Oct. 11, 2024. (Curt Fargo via AP)

A hot-air balloon struck and collapsed a radio tower Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the city's famous festival — the second time in 20 years that a balloon has come into contact with that tower.
There were no reports of injuries, said Kevin Carhart, a spokesperson for the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. The balloon, which had three people on board, landed safely in a field after it struck the tower.
The tower transmits 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 Fiesta, said the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating.
It wasn't clear how tall the tower was. News footage of the aftermath showed no other structures in the path of the collapsed tower, The Associated Press reported.
In 2004, a balloon shaped like the face of Smokey Bear got wrapped around a radio tower during the festival, forcing the pilot and two passengers to climb most of the way down the structure. A festival spokesperson confirmed to the AP that is the same tower that a balloon struck Friday.
A balloon bumped into a power line earlier this week in Albuquerque on the festival's third day, leaving nearly 13,000 customers without power for almost an hour.
The fiesta is one of the world's most photographed events.

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China’s First Atmospheric Monitoring Station in Antarctica Begins Operations

Penguins are seen on an iceberg as scientists investigate the impact of climate change on Antarctica's penguin colonies, on the northern side of the Antarctic peninsula, Antarctica January 15, 2022. (Reuters)
Penguins are seen on an iceberg as scientists investigate the impact of climate change on Antarctica's penguin colonies, on the northern side of the Antarctic peninsula, Antarctica January 15, 2022. (Reuters)
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China’s First Atmospheric Monitoring Station in Antarctica Begins Operations

Penguins are seen on an iceberg as scientists investigate the impact of climate change on Antarctica's penguin colonies, on the northern side of the Antarctic peninsula, Antarctica January 15, 2022. (Reuters)
Penguins are seen on an iceberg as scientists investigate the impact of climate change on Antarctica's penguin colonies, on the northern side of the Antarctic peninsula, Antarctica January 15, 2022. (Reuters)

China said its first atmospheric monitoring station in Antarctica started operations this week, a move aimed at helping observe changes on the southern continent and supporting the global response to climate change.

Like the United States, China has been expanding its presence in Antarctica and in the Arctic to explore polar resources.

The Zhongshan National Atmospheric Background Station will conduct "continuous and long-term operational observations of concentration changes in Antarctic atmospheric components," the official Xinhua news agency quoted China's Meteorological Administration as saying.

The station is located in Larsmann Hills in East Antarctica.

Polar regions are "amplifiers" of global climate change, said Ding Minghu, director of the Institute of Global Change and Polar Meteorology at the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences.

He said the station's observation data would have "unique geographical advantages and scientific value" which would aid the study of the impact of human activities on the environment.

China in February opened its Ross Sea scientific research station in Antarctica. It also has five other research stations in Antarctica that were built between 1985 and 2014.