A 28-year-old man from Israel was caught on camera plunging to his death from a hot air balloon as onlookers watched in complete horror.
Yogev Cohen was caught on camera trying to cling on after a hot air balloon took off with him still hanging on to the basket.
The horrifying incident happened in Kibbutz Yizre’el, northern Israel, on Tuesday this week.
According to reports, Yogev managed to hold on for a couple of minutes before the pilot was able to get the balloon back down, however, it had been too late.
Yogev fell more than 100 feet onto a moving car below.
Yovev was working for operator Lagaat Bashamayim for a few months.
Operator Lagaat Bashamayim said that their regulations directed that 3 ground crew should hold onto the balloon before it become stabilized.
The thing is, Yogev did not let go of the basket after the balloon was inflated.
He was clinging onto the balloon as it took off.
Footage of the incident shows him haning on as the people on the ground tried to get the attention of the pilot.
Lagaat Bashamayim owner Almog Amir released a statement about the incident.
The statement said:
We’re all in shock. He was a great guy. [The pilot] tried to land after crossing the road, but the wind brought him back. And at some point, Yogev could no longer hold on and fell onto the road from a height of 40 or 50 metres. He hung on to the lower portion of the basket. By the time the pilot noticed this, he was already at a height of 10 or 15 metres. I’ve been flying hot air balloons for 20 years, and so far I haven’t been able to understand why he did this. They yelled to him from below ‘Jump, jump’, while he was still near the ground. He said something like ‘No, I’m hanging in there,’ and then the pilot decided to get lower. But there were power lines and he couldn’t do so.
The authorities are yet to reveal if they are going to press charges against the company.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Yogev, may his soul rest in peace.