A hot-air balloon entered the river on Saturday morning near Simancas in the province of Valladolid after a hard landing in the River Pisuerga . One of its passengers was injured. According to local media citing information from the Centro de Emergencias 1-1-2 Castilla y León the emergency call came in at 09:04. The reports said the balloon made a sudden descent and touched down in a field, two people fell from the basket, and the unmanned balloon then drifted on and came to rest in the water near the Puente Romano in Simancas.
Those involved in the response were the Policía Local de Simancas, the Policía Municipal de Valladolid, the Guardia Civil, with Bomberos de la Diputación de Valladolid and the Emergencias Sanitarias-Sacyl ambulance service. The injured woman complained of pain around her hip and received medical attention. By midday, no information was available about any other injuries or her final condition. Emergency crews secured the scene and began recovering the balloon envelope and basket from the Pisuerga.
According to consistent media reports, the flight was part of the Open de Aerostación de Valladolid, a regional hot-air balloon competition. It was not initially clear whether the competition would continue. The organisers gave no details about the incident that morning. At the time of the first reports, a formal investigation by aviation authorities or the Guardia Civil had not been confirmed.
The authorities initially made no comment on possible causes. In general, these could include changing wind conditions, pilot decisions or technical faults; however, there was no reliable evidence pointing to any of these. Following the incident, local authorities temporarily advised people to keep a safe distance from the riverbank to avoid crowds and obstructing the recovery operation. There were no reports of damage to the historic Puente Romano of Simancas.
The Pisuerga carries the waters of Valladolid province through densely used recreation areas. Operations on and around the river are generally coordinated by the Guardia Civil, the relevant Policía Local and the Bomberos de la Diputación de Valladolid, together with Centro de Emergencias 1-1-2 Castilla y León. Further information about the injured woman’s condition and the technical circumstances of the accident was expected later in the day.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).