A groom-to-be died after he was flung from an out-of-control hot air balloon he was trying to halt.
Heartbreaking footage showed the moment the tragedy happened.
Spectators sprinted down the road as the large balloon hurtled towards them on Sunday (13 Oct) night.
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The horror began when powerful gusts of wind began to carry the balloon away with several people inside.
Several people on the ground tried to grab the balloon in a bid to save those inside.
One who joined in the efforts to bring it under control was 34-year-old Julián Andrés Martínez.
He grabbed onto a rope attached to the balloon but he was lifted about five metres (16ft) into the air.
He then fell to the ground with a thud at the Colors in the Sky festival in Aguazul, east-north-east of Bogotá, Colombia.
Martínez – a talented paraglider from Sopó – was taken to a local hospital, as reported by Need To Know.
From there, he was transferred to a hospital in nearby Yopal, where he died from his injuries in the early hours of Monday (14 Oct).
Local government official Sonia Lozano said: “In a moment of panic, seeing the balloon rising, this person likely tried to do something to help.
“But things didn’t go as expected, and we don’t know exactly what happened.
“At one point, he let go of the balloon and fell at the site where the accident occurred.”
Two others sustained burns in the hot air balloon accident, according to reports.
Martínez was engaged to his girlfriend, according to his social media.
Paragliders later paid tribute to him by laying wings at the spot where he fell.
The Aguazul mayor’s office said in a statement: “We ask for prudence and respect towards the private organisers of the event.
“This is not the time for blame, as it is up to the proper authorities to determine if there were any responsibilities or procedural errors.”
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