Hot air balloon incident developments:
7.30am: Police say they were notified of a hot air balloon incident at Clareville in the Wairarapa.
8.11am: The local health board confirm 11 people have been killed in the crash.
8.50am: Eye witness Roselee Thurston says her family were driving towards Carterton about 7.25am when they saw the balloon approach the Clareville turnoff and saw a puff of black smoke in the sky then flames.
8.58am: Former ONE News operations manager Don Cunningham says he saw the balloon going down in a "controlled descent". He then heard screaming and saw a fire truck and police racing to the scene.
9.26am: The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has opened an inquiry into the incident. An investigation team is being assembled with the first two of up to four investigators due on the scene about midday.
10.01am: Reports the hot air balloon hit a power line and there are power outages to the surrounding area.
10.05am: Police have closed both ends of Somerset Road near the showgrounds.
10.28am: Eye witness Mary Abdel-al reported being at her house in Clareville when she saw the corner edge of the balloon's basket on fire, which quickly spread and reached the balloon itself. Soon after she said one person appeared to jump from the balloon followed by another person who appeared to fall. The balloon then fell to the ground in a pall of black smoke.
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10.57am: Wellington Police say there will be a media briefing on the incident shortly. Wellington District Commander Superintendent Mike Rusbatch says at this stage, it appears a fire has ignited on board, causing the hot air balloon to crash in farmland.
11.00am: Police say the people in the air balloon were a mixture of locals and visitors.
12.02pm: Police have confirmed the people on board were five couples from the wider Wellington region and the pilot.
12.05pm: Respected balloonist Lance Hopping is thought to be the pilot on board the balloon when it crashed.
12.15pm: Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee offers his condolences on behalf of the Government to the families and loved ones of the victims of the crash.
1.05am: Powerco announce power was cut to around 3800 people in the area following the incident but has since been restored to all but two houses.
ONE News will have extensive coverage of this story at 6pm.
2.30pm: The company in relation to the incident is Early Morning Balloons Limited who have issued a statement expressing their condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.
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