Brazilian priest died after tying himself to 1,000 balloons and being found in ocean months later
Topics: World News
Anish Vij
Featured Image Credit: Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo
Topics: World News
The 'balloon priest' of Brazil was one heck of a daredevil.
Father Adelir Antonio de Carli floated over the ocean by tying himself up to 1,000 helium-filled balloons with the hopes of raising money for a chapel for truckers in his highway parish.
He set off from the Brazilian port city of Paranagua on 20 April, 2008, wearing a helmet, aluminum thermal flight suit and water proof coveralls, while attached to a parachute - and 1,000 balloons.
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The Roman Catholic priest wanted to break the 19-hour record for the longest time ballooned up in air.
De Carli was an experienced skydiver who had underwent survival and wilderness training, so he was no rookie, by any means.
In fact, it was his second time doing the stunt and in January that year he used 600 balloons to go on a four-hour 17,390 foot-high journey.
He took off from the town of Ampere and landed safely in Argentina.
Upon his new adventure, de Carli carried a GPS tracker and radio so he could inform air traffic control of his position.
However, eight hours after taking off, the 41-year-old went off the grid.
Planes, helicopters and rescue teams searched high and wide for the priest, but to no avail.
Two days after takeoff, a number of multicoloured balloons were seen in the sea off Brazil's southern Santa Catarina state near de Carli's last contact point, according to reports.
Sadly, his body was found months later in July and DNA tests confirmed that it belonged to the priest.
Police said his corpse was discovered off the coast of southeastern Brazil.
“We were almost certain that it was the priest due to various elements, such as the clothes and material used in the balloon trip,” Macae’s chief of police, Daniel Bandeira, said.
“The DNA only confirmed our suspicions.”
After months of searching, brother Moacir de Carli said: "Now we can have a respectable burial service."
Reports suggest that de Carli was struggling to work his GPS device, and that he felt 'very cold, but fine'.
He was said to have reached an altitude of 20,000ft, and was on course to descended to about 8,200ft for his planned flight to Dourados.
Unfortunately, he was said to have been blown off course by winds and before he lost contact, de Carli reportedly said he was 'losing height'.
The body was discovered by chance by tugboat workers.