Frenchman killed in Turkish balloon accident

A French tourist was killed and several others wounded today when a hot air balloon hit electrical wires and crashed in Turkey's popular Cappadocia tourist region.
Turkish media said the victim was a diplomat working at the French consulate in Istanbul but this was not immediately confirmed by Turkish officials.
Twenty people were in the balloon when it hit the wires during a trip in the morning above the central Anatolian region of Cappadocia, a magnet for tourists.
"One French citizen was killed and seven people were wounded including three foreigners," the transport ministry said in a statement, adding that the injured were all in a good condition.

A Colombian professional basketball player for a top Turkish side was among the wounded, reports said.
The balloon came down close to the town of Ortahisar which is popular with foreign tourists.

Hot air ballooning is a major business in Cappadocia, a region famed for its rock formations, with dozens of balloons taking to the skies every clear morning.
But there have been concerns about safely after a string of accidents.
A Danish man was killed in February when he fell out of the basket in a hard landing, while 49 tourists were hurt last month in a similar incident.

The Hurriyet newspaper said today's accident happened when the balloon was hit by an unexpected backwind and the pilot was unable to lift the balloon up in time.