The balloon got into trouble in the countryside near the village of Asureti in eastern Georgia, shrivelling to cinders within seconds after making the connection.
A hot air balloon racing across the country in an international competition exploded Monday night after it crashed into a power line in Kaufman County. Two pilots from Poland, Krzysztof Zapart and Piotr Halas, were injured in the blaze and taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, where they are expected to recover, race officials said.