Local man, 78 year old Micheal O'h-Aonghusa from Mitchelstown is counting his lucky stars to have escaped with just a few sore ribs from a hot air balloon that crashed on Easter Sunday over central Turkey.

Retired credit union manager Micheal, spoke enthusiastically to The Avondhu about the experience.

"I was one of twenty people in this giant balloon in Cappadocia early on Easter Sunday morning. 100 balloons take to the skies just before dawn every day to experience daybreak which is simply spectacular."

Micheal described it as 'a stunning landscape, almost unearthly', explaining that the terrain is used extensively in the making of science fiction films as it looks very much 'out of this world'.

"We had been in the air for an hour and were coming down to land when we were hit by a freak wind that toppled the balloon. The pilot shouted at us to get down and brace ourselves (part of the pre-flight routine). We were thrown around in the basket and hit the ground with terrible force. The basket hit the ground on five or six different occasions before finally coming to a standstill."

Of the 100 balloons in the air at the time, only two were affected by the freak wind. Seven people from Micheal's flight were taken to hospital.

"We all had a CT scan to see if there were any bones broken. I was the only one detained for observation as I had severe pain in my ribs. I still have some pain but I am improving daily."

Would he do it again? "Absolutely yes," was his immediate reply.

"This was a freak occurrence and I would happily do it again. I would also encourage anyone who hasn't been to Cappadocia to put in on their bucket list. It is truly an astonishing experience."

Capadocia is a region said to be 'of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterised by rock formation termed as 'fairy chimneys' and enjoying a unique 'historical and cultural heritage'.

Micheal, who has travelled extensively throughout the world, has already planned his next trip which will take him to Canada!

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