SEVEN people were injured, three of them seriously, when a hot-air balloon caught fire after take-off in northern Switzerland yesterday, police said.

The balloon had just taken off in the early morning from at around 6am local time (0400 GMT) from Mattenboden when it caught fire and fell suddenly back to the ground from a low altitude, the police statement said.

Four women and three men aged between 28 and 62 were injured. 

Of them, two women and a man suffered serious injuries.

The town’s fire brigade was able to extinguish the fire quickly and secure the area.

The Swiss Security Investigation Service has launched an investigation into the incident. – AFP, June 18, 2023.