Picture courtesy: 1 News

· Two people were seriously injured while nine others suffered bruises after a hot air balloon crashed in a popular tourist town on the South Island of New Zealand on Friday.

· The two were admitted to a hospital.

· The crash occurred at about 10 a.m local time. It was initially believed that the balloon crashed into a house but officials clarified that it landed on a farm where it should be.

· There is no evidence this crash was caused by misconduct, but a witness reported a crash landing being seen this time.

· Sunrise Balloons, the company said the balloon was caught by a sudden wind gust and the basket containing passengers impacted with a low bank.

· The company said it has temporarily stopped the further flights and is cooperating with the police to investigate.

· All the passengers were residents of New Zealand as the country has closed its borders for foreign tourists.

· Hot balloons flight is one of the popular touring attractions in New Zealand, but tragedy did happen before. A balloon crash accident in 2012 took 11 lives.