Unity between faiths has been the central theme of the pontiff's Asia trip and a declaration they signed called for 'religious harmony for the sake of humanity'
Four people including the pilot died and another person was critically injured when their hot air balloon crashed into the Arizona desert on Sunday after eight skydivers had successfully jumped out of the basket, investigators said.
The Kubicek BB 85 Z balloon went down on Sunday in Eloy, about 65 miles (100 km) southeast of Phoenix, the US National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement on Monday.
The cause remained under investigation.
"The balloon impacted desert terrain following an unspecified problem with its envelope," the NTSB said, referring to the outer bag of the balloon.
An initial inspection found no mechanical anomalies as both the balloon and basket appeared to be intact, the NTSB said, adding that the envelope would be inspected later. An electronic device containing flight information and a video camera have been sent to NTSB headquarters in Washington for further analysis, the NTSB said.
"It is important to clarify that the skydiving was intentional and was successfully completed by all skydivers before any issues with the hot air balloon were evident," the Eloy Police Department said in a statement.
Police identified the four dead as Chayton Wiescholek, 28, from Union City, Michigan; Kaitlynn Bartrom, 28, from Andrews, Indiana; Atahan Kiliccote, 24, from Cupertino, California; and the pilot, Cornelius Van Der Walt, 37, a South African national living in Eloy.
Survivor Valerie Stutterheim, 23, of Scottsdale, Arizona, was in critical condition, police said.
The company operating the flight, Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides, had a perfect safety record, according to its website.
Company representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Droplyne said it conducts daily flights that rise up to 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) elevation from either the Eloy area of Arizona or Moab, Utah, depending on the time of year.
ALSO READ:
Unity between faiths has been the central theme of the pontiff's Asia trip and a declaration they signed called for 'religious harmony for the sake of humanity'
Musk risks possible EU sanctions in the coming months for allegedly breaking new content rules
More than 90 per cent of buildings within a so-called buffer zone appeared to have been destroyed or severely damaged, according to the London-based rights group
Netanyahu says that Israel must retain control over the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border to prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas
Convention covers human rights aspects of AI
According to the International Meteor Organisation, the one-meter asteroid will be a bright and slow fireball and cause no damage
Saad was studying at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in nearby Gaza City before it was reduced to ruins in the war that has devastated much of the enclave
The lawsuit is the latest legal challenge to the Democratic president's efforts to fulfil a campaign pledge and bring debt relief to millions of Americans who turned to federal student loans to fund their costly higher education