Liberty Poole shared terrifying hot air balloon experience before fatal Brazil crash

Love Island star Liberty Poole warned of the dangers of hot air balloon rides amid the tragic deaths of at least eight when such a floating aircraft became engulfed in flames in Brasil this week. Reality star Liberty, 25, had taken to the air herself recently, but did not enjoy the trip.

Taking to social media, including via TikTok and Instagram, the former Love Island contestant shared footage and insights from her experience. She captioned her video, writing: "Social media Vs reality: Hot Air Balloon edition."

The clips showed her looking comfortable while up in the air, fanning herself and at ease. The footage then cut to a clip of the star screaming shouting out in fear alongside others as they returned to the ground with a thud and they were forced to assume the brace position.

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Liberty also wrote in a caption: "The unexpected... I ticked it off my bucket list but think it’s going to be a one time only thing lol." In further footage, Liberty shared further insight into her experience where she outlined an apparent lack of safety for her trip.

Warning that she did not have a relaxing time, she revealed: "I didn't realise when you actually get into a hot air balloon, it's not upright."

Giving a detailed description of what she went through, she continued: "You lay on the floor to get in. So you're actually not strapped in. Nothing. You have this tiny bit of rope to hold.

"And as the hot air balloon goes up, the basket just sits up. But as you come down, you have to go the other way."

Her description was interspliced with footage of her going up in the air and returning to earth. She revealed: "So we were told to basically just hold on to this rope and sit and crouch down to land."

Going on to suggest she may not have had the safest overall experience, she added: "However, I don't know if that landing was normal."

Liberty's account of her experience has drawn attention from fans over the weekend as a hot air balloon in Brasil caught fire while in the air. Horrifying footage went viral showing the giant balloon becoming engulfed in flames before plunging to the ground along with the basket full of visitors.

Reports revealed that at least eight people died and 13 others were injured in the horror incident. The crash took place in Santa Catarina on Saturday and it was confirmed 21 people were on board including the pilot.

Jorginho Mello, the Governor of Santa Catarina, shared his shock over the incident in a video that was posted on X following the disaster.

He said: "We are in mourning. A tragedy has happened. We will see how it unfolds, what happened, why it happened. But the important thing now is for the state structure to do what it can."

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