4 dead, 1 critically hurt after a hot air balloon crash near Phoenix

Officials say the balloon crashed after an "unspecified problem" with its envelope. 13 people had been in the balloon.

Four people are dead and a fifth is critically hurt after a hot air balloon crash Sunday morning south of Phoenix in Pinal County, Arizona.

Eloy police say it happened at about 7:50 a.m. in a rural desert area.

The mayor of Eloy said that 13 people — eight skydivers, four passengers and a pilot — had been in the balloon. Before the crash, the skydivers exited the gondola. Witnesses told officials that the balloon was straight up and down before a hard impact.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other three died at a hospital. One person is hospitalized in critical condition.

The victims' identities have not yet been released, pending notification of next of kin.