Man who died in Alqueva was “a hero” on the balloon ride. “He saved 12 people”, says girlfriend – Nacional

A man died during a hot air balloon trip in Alqueva last Sunday, April 28, and the situation remains a mystery. There are two different versions of the events, where Civil Protection says that George, the man, fell into the water after feeling unwell, but his girlfriend guarantees that the wind changed direction and the balloon ended up hitting the water.

Alexandra Santos, the companion, explains that George “was the hero” in that situation. According to the woman, the 55-year-old man threw himself into the water at the balloonist’s request, as the balloon drastically changed direction thanks to the wind that set in that day, reports “Correio da Manhã”.

The balloon left Monsaraz and was destined for the Mourão area, as part of a tourist tour, as is usual in this region. However, due to the abrupt descent, the balloon hit the water, “very close to the shore”, and the balloonist suggested that some passengers “go outside to pull the basket to land”.

The balloon ended up becoming lighter, and regained altitude, but dropped again for the second time, now “further away from the shore”. George “had no foot in the area where he was”, Alexandra told CM, and was the only one who didn’t return to the basket. “We lost sight of him when he was two meters from the bank,” he said. The alert given to 112, at 10:19 am, stated that one of the passengers had fallen into the water, and when they arrived at the scene, George was already on the bank, but lifeless.

The balloon, which ended up rising in the meantime, landed in a private olive grove. “When I arrived, I made a point of toasting George,” said Alexandra. “He was our hero, he saved the 12 people who were left inside the basket. We owe him our lives. If it weren’t for him, the misfortune would have been greater.” The girlfriend was surprised by the news of her partner’s death when she was already on the bus back home, and told the CM that she thought she was just a few minutes away from reuniting with her boyfriend. George, from the Lisbon area, leaves four children.

The death, according to the same media outlet, is still being investigated by the Public Ministry. Despite this version by Alexandra Santos, Civil Protection and firefighters had assured that the man had fallen into the water, after feeling unwell. However, according to “Público”, the victim asked the balloonist to land the device so he could leave – and he did so, but then resumed the flight. The company that organized the tour says it was not an “aeronautical accident” and guarantees that the man left the balloon voluntarily.