At least eight people were killed Saturday when a hot-air balloon with 21 passengers caught fire in southern Brazil, a state governor said.

It was the second fatal balloon accident in the vast South American country in less than a week.

“Eight fatalities and 13 survivors,” Santa Catarina state governor Jorginho Mello said on X.

Videos taken by bystanders and carried on Brazilian television showed the moment when the balloon erupted in flames above a rural area outside the Atlantic coast town of Praia Grande, a tourist hotspot popular for hot-air ballooning.

READ ALSO:Brazil’s Lula Presses Putin To Join Peace talks With Zelensky

The basket carrying the passengers plummeted dozens of meters to the ground in flames. Other images showed some of the passengers jumping.

The 13 survivors were treated at hospitals, firefighters said.

Officials at Our Lady of Fatima hospital said of the five survivors treated there, three were in stable condition with minor injuries and two had already been discharged.

Information about the other survivors was not immediately available.

An investigation was launched to determine the cause of the accident. Weather conditions were clear at the time.

READ ALSO:Brazil’s Lula Presses Putin To Join Peace talks With Zelensky

“I want to express my solidarity with the families of the victims,” Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in a statement.

The pilot told officials the fire was sparked by a blowtorch — used to ignite the balloon’s main flame — in the basket, Tiago Luiz Lemos, a police official in Praia Grande, told local media.

The pilot tried to bring the balloon down as soon as the fire erupted, “and once it was close to the ground, he told the passengers to jump from the basket. But some of them couldn’t do it and the fire grew,” the official said.

READ ALSO:Brazil Slams US After Dozens Of Deportees Arrive Handcuffed

Four people were burned to death and four others died from injuries sustained in the fall, fire department official Zevir Cipriano Junior told reporters.

One witness told the Razao newspaper that he saw “two people falling, they were on fire, the basket broke off and the balloon fell.”

Less than a week ago, a woman died during a balloon ride in southeastern Sao Paulo state.

From dizzying altitudes in the Himalayas to icy slopes in the Alps and windswept beaches in Scotland, some of the world’s most dangerous airports test the very limits of aviation.

These are not your average runways: they are feats of daring design carved into extreme terrains, often surrounded by mountains, oceans, or unpredictable winds. For passengers, landing at these airports is less of a routine descent and more of a white-knuckle thrill ride. For pilots, only the most elite are certified to even attempt them.

Here are eight of the most dangerous airports in the world: and why they’re not for the faint of heart.

1. Lukla Airport, Nepal (Tenzing-Hillary Airport)

Perched at 9,300 feet and cradled by razor-edged Himalayan peaks, Lukla is the gateway to Mount Everest: and arguably the most dangerous airport on Earth. The runway is just 1,729 feet long and ends in a sheer cliff. Flights are strictly limited to clear daylight hours, and turbulence is often so extreme that passengers describe the experience as “terrifying.”

READ ALSO:Most Followed Tiktoker Khaby Lame Deported From US Over Visa Violation

2. Paro Airport, Bhutan

Tucked deep within the Himalayas, Paro requires planes to weave through narrow mountain valleys without the help of radar. It’s Bhutan’s only international airport, and just 17 pilots globally are approved to land there. The approach is so risky that flights can only operate during specific daylight hours, with extra caution during windy seasons.

3. Courchevel Altiport, France

Serving the upscale ski resort of Courchevel in the French Alps, this airport boasts an upward-sloping runway with no lights or instrument landing systems. Only small planes and helicopters are permitted. Ice, snow, and nearby ski runs add to the danger. Crashes are not uncommon as one in August 2021 left a passenger dead.

4. Madeira Airport, Portugal

Built partly on stilts over the Atlantic Ocean, Madeira’s airport is known for its violent crosswinds and dramatic surroundings. Special pilot training is mandatory. The site has seen four fatal accidents, the most recent in 2003, which claimed 10 lives shortly after takeoff.
Airport, Honduras

5. Toncontin International Airport, Honduras

Once named the second most dangerous airport in the world, Toncontin is surrounded by mountainous terrain that forces pilots to execute a sharp 45-degree turn right before landing. A 2011 crash that killed 14 people underscores the danger. Veteran aviators say: “You don’t land at Toncontin, you survive it.”

READ ALSO:Top 10 Most-visited Countries In The World

6. Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten

Known for its jaw-dropping beach landings, planes approach this Caribbean airport just feet above sunbathers on Maho Beach. Though structurally less risky, the low-altitude approach poses dangers for both planes and people below, especially during stormy weather.

7. Barra Airport, Scotland

The only airport in the world where scheduled flights land on a tidal beach, Barra offers a stunning but tricky experience. Pilots must time arrivals with the tides, and the “runway” of wet sand can quickly become unstable. Wind, rain, and fog frequently complicate landings.

8. Narsarsuaq Airport, Greenland

Remote and surrounded by glacial fjords, Narsarsuaq is plagued by extreme weather and strong winds. Located in southern Greenland, it often suffers from limited visibility and ice-covered runways. Only highly trained pilots attempt landings, often relying on sheer experience to navigate the treacherous descent.

Nigerians caught in the hostilities between Israel and Iran have called for help from underground shelters amid heavy exchange of missiles between the two countries.

Those who spoke to Saturday PUNCH slammed the Nigerian government for not doing enough, adding that other countries had started evacuating their citizens.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government said it was awaiting border clearance to rescue over 1,000 Nigerians in the warring countries.

Rising casualties

According to reports, no fewer than 264 people, including 70 women and children, have died in the two countries since the war started.

The war began last Friday when Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, with guided missiles and air raids pounding suspected Iranian nuclear and military sites, including air-defence installations, as well as residential areas in eastern Tehran, notably the Shahrak-e-Mahallati neighbourhood, home to senior IRGC commanders, and targets in Tabriz and other cities.

High-ranking Iranian military figures, including General Mohammad Bagheri and IRGC commander Hossein Salami, were among those killed in the Israeli offensive.

In a statement, Tehran described the strikes from Israel as “the most direct act of war” in decades of covert hostilities.

In a retaliatory response on June 13, 2025, Iran launched a large-scale missile barrage, firing over 100 ballistic missiles at Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, where the Nigerian embassy is located.

Checks by The PUNCH revealed that most Nigerians living in Israel are based in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Sources confirmed that nearly all economic, social, and religious activities have been suspended in major Israeli cities.

Nigerians recount ordeal

In separate interviews with our correspondents, some Nigerians living in major Israeli cities recounted their ordeals.

A Nigerian in Tel Aviv, Ekene Abaka, said since the onslaught began, members of the Nigerian community in the city had joined other foreigners to take cover in underground shelters provided by the Israeli military, pending an opportunity to escape the country.

“We are in an Israeli bomb shelter and I can’t answer calls right now,” Abaka said in a hasty Facebook message to The PUNCH.

READ ALSO:Iran Nabs 22 Suspected Israeli Spies Amidst Escalating Conflict

A software engineer living in Jerusalem, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Nigerians in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem had been scrambling for the past few days since the face-off between the two nations started.

The source, who also claimed to be speaking from a bomb shelter, said though many Israelis had died, no casualties had been recorded among Nigerians so far.

He, however, lamented that the Nigerian embassy had closed all official and diplomatic activities without supporting distressed Nigerians in the country.

“Most of the areas where Nigerians live in Israel are in Tel Aviv. As a matter of fact, that is the main area where most of the missiles are going. I live in Jerusalem.

“There are about three families in Jerusalem from Nigeria, but the majority of Nigerians live in Tel Aviv. We are on the run.

“The Nigerian embassy is situated in Tel Aviv. It has shut down. It’s not doing anything about the issue at the moment. We ran into a bomb shelter to protect ourselves from missiles coming from Iran,” he added.

Meanwhile, in a video shared on Tuesday by Travels Vlog, a Facebook page documenting the daily experiences of Nigerians in Israel and other parts of the Middle East, some Nigerians were seen scrambling into a bomb shelter after the Israeli government sounded the security alarm, warning of incoming Iranian missiles.

“Everybody is running helter-skelter now. I didn’t grab my water. Oh! Those are the missiles there. They have fallen now,” one of them cried out in fear.

But as they approached one of the shelters, they found it locked.

“Oh! It’s closed. Why did they lock this place? Let’s go, there is another one over there. We can’t stay here. This place is not safe,” another voice urged as the group rushed off in search of an open shelter under the night sky.

When they finally reached a covered spot, they sat on the ground, visibly shaken, waiting as the blaring alarm slowly faded and the missiles vanished from sight.

READ ALSO:Iran-Israel War: ‘A Fire No One Can Control’, UN Warns

The Travels Vlog host, identified as one Solomon, explained in a live video on Wednesday that people were informed about incoming Iranian missiles through a text message from the government.

“There are missiles coming in, but 10 minutes before they hit, the Israeli government detects them and sends us a direct message to immediately leave our homes and run to the shelter. A few minutes afterwards, the security siren starts blaring, and that’s when panic sets in,” he said.

Countries move to evacuate citizens

The situation in the Middle East has prompted governments around the world to evacuate their nationals from both Iran and Israel, where airspace closures and missile fire have made civilian travel dangerous or impossible.

No fewer than 12 countries, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Greece, and Bulgaria, have contacted their citizens in the warring nations and repatriated hundreds by air, sea, and road.

Many evacuees crossed land borders on foot before boarding repatriation flights from neighbouring countries.

Agence France-Presse reported on Thursday that the Czech Republic and Slovakia flew home 181 people on government planes, while Greece returned home 105 of its citizens plus a number of foreign nationals via Egypt.

The United States announced plans on Wednesday to evacuate Americans by air and sea, while China evacuated more than 1,600 citizens from Iran and several hundred more from Israel.

The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement issued on Tuesday night, revealed that the Nigerian Embassies in Israel and Tehran (Iran) were actively reaching out to affected citizens and coordinating efforts to ensure their safe return.

However, as of Thursday night, the Federal Government had yet to evacuate any Nigerian trapped in the countries.

A woman, identified as Hope Omobeauty, during Solomon’s Vlog podcast, said some of her people had been trying to leave Israel but had found no way.

“I have people in Israel who are trying to leave, but there is no way,” she said.

READ ALSO:UK Joins Other Nations In Pulling Embassy Staff From Iran

Collapse of businesses

The Israeli government has shut down all activities until at least Sunday at 8pm, further worsening conditions for Nigerians in the country.

Israel announced that all educational institutions, including kindergartens, daycare centres, schools, special education programmes, summer camps, youth organisations, and higher education facilities, had been closed.

Speaking about this, the engineer told The PUNCH that the closures had negatively affected the livelihoods of Nigerians.

He lamented the “indifference and insensitivity” of the Nigerian embassy to their predicament.

“In Israel, rent is paid every month. At workplaces, you’re paid per hour. But all business activities have been shut down, so there is no income for anyone at the moment. We are scared because we don’t even know how we will pay our next rent or feed our children,” he said.

“There is an announcement that everything will reopen on Sunday, schools, markets, and places of worship, but it is not guaranteed. It all depends on how Iran continues the war, whether they will carry on with the bombardment or not. We don’t sleep at night because that’s when the missiles fall.

“What the officials at the Nigerian embassy do is perform their formal obligations, grant visas and handle diplomatic or travel assignments. They don’t engage in the welfare of Nigerians. If anything happens, you are on your own. They don’t do anything to help Nigerian citizens here.”

FG awaits border clearance

Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 Nigerians stranded in Iran have remained in limbo, as the Federal Government awaits final border clearance from Armenia to begin their evacuation.

According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the Nigerian Embassy in Tehran has completed logistical arrangements to move citizens to Armenia, the nearest border country, where they are to be airlifted home from the capital, Yerevan.

READ ALSO:Ukraine Worries Iran-Israel War Will Boost Russia’s Aggression

He told The PUNCH that embassy officials were in close talks with Armenian authorities to finalise the movement of evacuees across the Iran-Armenia border.

While bus transport has been secured, approval from Armenia to allow Nigerians to cross the border is still pending.

“The Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy met officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Armenia, which is the nearest border, to discuss modalities of moving stranded Nigerians via buses to Yerevan, while waiting to be airlifted to Nigeria.

“The Embassy has also advised Nigerians to stay away from demonstrations, remain in safe areas, and stay glued to their phones for evacuation messages once arrangements are concluded.

“At the moment, the Embassy has concluded arrangements with bus companies to hire buses that will convey us all to the transit country, Yerevan, Armenia. However, we are awaiting permission from the transit country before moving from locations already earmarked for evacuation,” Ebienfa said.

He said to prevent complications at the crossing, the embassy was coordinating with Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs by submitting updated lists of evacuees, including personal details.

“This is to ensure a smooth passage through the border and avoid any bottlenecks.

“All hands are on deck to get permission, including for transit and final airlifting to Abuja from Yerevan, Armenia,” he stated.