China pine nut pickers in lucky escape after drifting 10km in gas balloon
- Latest mishap highlights dangers of harvesting cones from towering pine trees
Two men who lost control of their gas balloon in China’s Changbai mountains over the weekend drifted more than 10km (6 miles) before they landed safely and were immediately taken away by police for breaking aviation regulations.
The duo had planned to pick cones from giant pine trees near their village in Wangqing county, in the northeastern province of Jilin and set off on Saturday in a large, hydrogen-filled balloon, according to online news video platform Pear Video.
The men, who were not identified, drifted for about 12km after their balloon became untethered, before they were able to land near a gas station. The large white balloon attracted the attention of villagers on the ground, who alerted local police.
“They knew how to operate [the balloon] but they didn’t dare to land immediately because there were trees, so they floated for some time and landed on their own,” a police officer said.
China’s aviation rules require users of hydrogen balloons bigger than 3.2 cubic metres to seek advance approval from meteorological authorities at prefecture level or above. But, while the men may face a penalty, they are lucky to have escaped with their lives.