MATERA — Two students have died, having fallen from a hot air balloon at the Hot Air Balloon festival in Matera. 

  The two students were Giuseppe Nicola Lasaponara, aged 17, from Irsina (Matera) and Davide Belgrano, 20, from Matera. They were both students at “Olivetti”. The pilot of the hot air balloon was injured in the accident. 

  It is alleged that the origin of this tragedy was that the hot air balloon crashed into some high voltage cables. This is the main hypothesis, upon which the carabinieri, coordinated by the prosecutor of Matera, Rosanna De Fraia, are basing their investigation. 

  Upon impact with the wires, the basket would have started to swing. One of the two students, scared, fell off, followed shortly by the other. This reconstruction is supported by the discovery of two bodies at a distance of several hundred metres apart.

  The balloon’s journey ended by bumping into a ruin, in a different area. 

  At the edge of the basket, there were signs of a fire, and the driver has some burns on him. 

  Subsequently, the organisers have announced that the “Matera Balloon Fesitval” is now cancelled. The Mayor of Matera, Raffaello De Ruggieri, has proclaimed a day of mourning.