A man has died after falling from a hot air balloon into a residential area.
The balloon took off from Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, on Monday morning.
The man was in the air for about 30 minutes before he fell from the basket at 7.30am.
His body was found in Albert Street, a suburban area of the city, and state police were forced to close the area off to traffic.
It is understood he fell from an elevation of 1,500ft and no warning was given to the pilot, according to the Herald Sun.
A blue hot air balloon tent remains in place while the man’s body has since been removed from the scene.
The hot air balloon landed safely many miles from where the man’s body was found while power lines have fallen across the road where it landed.
Locals reported hearing a loud ‘thud’ as emergency services arrived at the scene.
A local said: ‘My brother heard like a loud bang, almost like something like a large item falling in your house. And it wasn’t until we heard all the sirens that we came out.’
The death is not being treated as suspicious and police officers will now speak with the balloon’s pilot, witnesses. and other occupants.
Victoria Police said in a statement: ‘Police are speaking to the other occupants in the balloon and witnesses to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
‘The death is not being treated as suspicious.’
It is not known how many other passengers were on the hot air balloon with the man before he fell.