Seven people were injured, three seriously, when a hot air balloon crashed near Goodsprings, Nevada, about 40 miles southwest of Las Vegas, a hospital official said Thursday.
**Embargo: Las Vegas, NV**
At least seven people were in a crash 40 miles southwest of Las Vegas.
Four were treated and released, said Danita Cohen, chief experience officer for University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. At least one of the patients was taken by helicopter to the hospital, Cohen said.
They were among nine people in the balloon’s gondola when it made a hard landing in the remote area, Federal Aviation Authority spokesman Ian Gregor told CNN.
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The pilot was thrown from the gondola, Gregor said, adding the gondola was dragged along the ground for about half a mile before coming to a stop.
John Asselin, a spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management Southern Nevada District, earlier said there was a hot air balloon crash north of Goodsprings, and multiple agencies including the FAA had officials on scene.
