Five dead in hot air balloon crash in New Mexico

HOUSTON - The person who had been critically injured during a hot air balloon crash in Albuquerque, US state of New Mexico, succumbed to his injuries, raising the death toll in the accident to five, local police said Saturday.

According to a statement of Albuquerque Police, five people were killed in the crash, including three men and two women. Their identities were not released.

Authorities said the balloon hit a power line just after 7 a.m. local time. The basket the passengers were riding in detached from the balloon and crashed.

Police found four deceased at the scene. A fifth person was critically injured and succumbed to his wounds later in hospital.

New Mexico police tweeted that the crash caused a power outage in southwest Albuquerque, affecting more than 13,000 customers.