BRIT SCIENTIST KILLED IN 150FT BALLOON FALL; Nine tourists injured in hot-air collision.Byline: RYAN PARRY A SPACE scientist plunged to his death yesterday in a freak hot-air balloon accident. Dr Kevin Beurle was one of 10 British tourists on board the craft to see the sunrise above the Cappadocia volcanic region of central Turkey. But just moments after the anchor ropes were released the balloon plummeted 150ft back to earth. Witnesses suggested the craft had crashed into the basket of another balloon passing above and its fabric had been ripped, causing it to fall. British pilot Mike Miners and eight injured passengers were taken to hospital, many with fractures. A ninth passenger was described as seriously injured with multiple fractures and was transferred to another unit. Nevsehir regional governor Asim Hacimustafaolgu said: "We are still unsure as to the cause of the accident and whether Mr Beurle jumped from the balloon in panic. The authorities are now investigating." Dr Beurle, 53, from Brixton, South London South London (known colloquially as South of the River) is the area of London south of the River Thames. Some neighbourhoods north of the Thames have South London postal codes (SW), but these neighbourhoods are classified as West or Central London. , was on a walking holiday with friend Juliet Boas Bo·as , Franz 1858-1942. German-born American anthropologist who emphasized the systematic analysis of culture and language structures. who was one of the injured. Astro-physicist Dr Beurle was lead programmer for the Cassini mission - a Nasa robotic spacecraft currently studying Saturn and its moons. He was based at the University of London For most practical purposes, ranging from admission of students to negotiating funding from the government, the 19 constituent colleges are treated as individual universities. Within the university federation they are known as Recognised Bodies . Professor Philip Ogden, acting principal of Queen Mary, University of London, said: "We are deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden death of Dr Kevin Beurle. He was an extremely popular member of staff." RESPECTED Professor Carl Murray from Queen Mary's astronomy unit added: "Kevin Beurle joined the Astronomy Unit in 1991 and rapidly became an invaluable member of the Cassini group at Queen Mary." Yesterday's tragedy follows an incident in Egypt last month where two British women were injured when their hot air balloon This article is about hot air balloons themselves. For the associated activity, see Hot air ballooning. The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology, dating back to its invention by the Montgolfier brothers in Annonay, crashed touring the ancient city of Luxor. CAPTION(S): SCENE Emergency workers with balloon basket 200 miles TRAGEDY The Cappadocia region &, inset, Dr Beurle |
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