A British pilot and a tourist were killed when a hot air balloon crashed shortly after taking off for an airborne safari over a Kenyan game preserve.
Chris Marshall, who had been involved in ballooning around the world, worked irregularly as a pilot for Balloon Safaris Ltd., the Times of London reported. He was guiding a group of 12 tourists over the Masai Mara and Serengeti game reserves.
Both Marshall and a Belgian woman were killed in the crash. The other passengers, eight Canadians and three Belgians were transported to a hospital in Nairobi.
The Kenya Tourist Board blamed freak winds but some eyewitnesses suggested that the balloon's burner stopped functioning.
Officials said that Balloon Safaris has flown thousands of tourists over the game reserves for almost 30 years without previous fatalities.
Marshall, a resident of Kenya, represented the country at world championship balloon events.
© Copyright 2006 by United Press International
