A hot air balloon trip on which several couples had romantic proposals in São Paulo ended in tragedy and is now at the center of an investigation.

On Sunday, June 15, an excursion carrying 33 passengers, a pilot and their assistant took off from the city of Capela do Alto. However, the hot air balloon came crashing to the ground, leaving one woman, who was possibly pregnant, dead and 11 others hospitalized.

The Secretariat of Public Security of the State of São Paulo told Brazilian outlet O Dia that the hot air balloon crash took place around 7:50 a.m. local time, according to a translation of the story from Portuguese.

Juliana Alves Prado Pereira, 27, who died in the crash, was traveling with her husband, Leandro de Aquino Pereira, on a special trip to recognize Brazil’s Valentine’s Day, which takes place in June instead of February 14.

According to reporting by O Dia, a pregnancy test was ordered because it is believed that she might have been pregnant. She was treated at a hospital in Sorocaba but was pronounced dead.

Speaking to Brazilian outlet G1, 27-year-old college student Gabrielle Rosa do Nascimento detailed her experience on the hot air balloon.

She told the outlet that she had been nervous about taking off in the aircraft due to windy conditions across the city, according to a translation of the post from Portuguese. However, she was assured that everything would be safe.

While onboard, her partner, Tiago Ribeiro Kempinas, proposed to her. She told the outlet that two other proposals took place on the flight before the tragedy struck.

Within 25 minutes of taking flight, do Nascimento said that everything went wrong.

“A second balloon that was next to us came down because of the wind,” she recalled. “At that moment, the balloon started going too fast. [The pilot] then tried to make the first landing in an orange grove. During this, 4 people were thrown from the basket, and others were injured. The balloon dragged along the ground and hit. Then, it took off again.”

When the balloon touched down again, she said that people jumped to safety.

Unfortunately, it was too late for Prado Pereira, who was “very hurt,” according to do Nascimento.

“Apparently, her nose was broken, she was bleeding and her jaw was split open. She was already unconscious, and her coat was torn. She was moaning in pain, and her husband was trying to keep her alive,” she recalled.

The pilot, identified as Fabio Salvador Pereira by G1, was arrested and faces potential charges related to aggravated manslaughter and illegal ballooning. The outlet reported that he had “irregular” documentation and was only cleared to man “private flights.”

The Military Police of the State of São Paulo told the outlet that 11 other victims received treatment at the scene and were taken to the Conjunto Hospitalar de Sorocaba.

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According to reporting by O Globo, the investigation is being conducted with assistance from the Regional Service for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents,

The 38th Brazilian Hot Air Ballooning Championship was taking place a the same weekend. However, all three sources reported that events on Sunday were cancelled due to the weather.

The Brazilian Hot Air Ballooning Confederation president told O Globo that the “balloon was clandestine and had no connection with the entity or the event.” Meanwhile, the confederation told G1 that the business responsible for the hot air balloon rides was previously shut down.

A cause for the crash has not yet been revealed. However, the Secretariat of Public Security of São Paulo told O Dia that “the forensic examinations, as well as the autopsy report, are being prepared and will be analyzed to determine both the causes of the accident and the cause of the victim’s death.”

In a statement to PEOPLE, the Secretariat of Public Security of São Paulo further noted, “All circumstances related to the causes of the accident are still under investigation by the Capela do Alto Police Station. The balloon pilot was arrested in flagrante delicto, and the forensic examinations, as well as the autopsy report, are being prepared and will be analyzed to determine both the causes of the accident and the cause of the victim’s death. The Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA) is also investigating the case.”

The Military Police of the State of São Paulo also provided a statement to PEOPLE: “The Brazilian Ballooning Confederation (CBB) reported that the equipment was not authorized to fly, with a maximum capacity of 24 (twenty-four) people in its registration, and that balloon flights were prohibited on this date due to unfavorable weather conditions, and that the flight in question was clandestine.”

They added, “The Military Police remained on site providing support and ensuring the safety of the area. The incident was reported to the Police Station in the municipality of Tatuí, where the pilot remained at the disposal of the courts and will answer for the crimes of manslaughter, attempting to harm the safety of another means of transport (art. 262 of the Penal Code) and the misdemeanor of illegal practice of a profession or activity.”

Do Nascimento said that she expressed her concerns about the flight before they took off. However, she said the “pilot said he was monitoring the situation using an air force device and that it was safe to fly until 9 a.m.”

Now she and all others on board are coming to terms with living through the tragedy.

“What should have been a happy day of engagement became a nightmare for life,” do Nascimento added.

A New York City woman named Aymara Corbo, 78, is suing Scandinavian Airlines for a whopping $10 million in damages after a flight attendant allegedly dropped scalding hot coffee on her. 

According to the recently filed lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE, the incident occurred during Flight SK 1464 on April 3, 2024. Aymara and her husband, Guiseppe Corbo, were traveling from Copenhagen, Denmark, en route to Oslo, Norway. 

During the flights around 10 a.m. local time, a flight attendant allegedly served Aymara an “excessively hot cup of coffee” and “caused the cup of coffee to spill on the plaintiff.” Aymara alleges that the spill caused her “severe burns, pain, suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment, scarring and cosmetic deformity, economic and pecuniary damages.”

As outlined in the lawsuit, Aymara’s legal counsel is invoking the Warsaw Convention Treaty, the Montreal Convention and the International Air Transport Association Inter-Carrier Agreement on Passenger Liability, which are all legal authorities related to liability concerning international air travel, to have all “monetary limits” waived for Scandinavian Airlines, allowing for the $10 million in damages, exclusive of interest and costs. 

As the legal and live-in spouse of Aymara, Giuseppe alleged that he sustained “loss of his wife’s services, society and consortium” and also suffered financial losses due to Aymara’s alleged injuries. For this, counsel is requesting $1 million in damages, exclusive of interest and costs. 

PEOPLE has reached out to the Corbos’ lawyer and Scandinavian Airlines for comment and has not received any response yet. 

Famously, a similar incident occurred in 1992 involving McDonald’s. A woman by the name of Stella Liebeck, 79, spilled hot coffee on her lap while going through a drive-thru window. 

Liebeck initially sought $20,000 from the fast food giant to pay for her medical bills — she sustained third-degree burns and had to get skin grafts — though the restaurant chain countered her demand, offering $800. However, 700 people had complained about the severely hot coffee as the company required the temperature to be between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit, and so Liebeck continued with the suit. 

According to the American Museum of Tort Law, a jury awarded her $200,000 in compensatory damages (reduced to $160,000 due to her being found partially at fault) and $2.7 million in punitive damages (later reduced to $480,000 by the judge). Ultimately, the parties confidentially settled before an appeal was officially decided.