Belarussians Shoot Down U.S. Balloon, Killing 2

The Belarussian military shot down a gas balloon taking part in an international race, killing the two American crew members.

The balloon was flying close to a military base, and Belarussian authorities said the Americans failed to respond to warning shots and to a radio demand that they identify themselves.

The names of the victims were being withheld pending notification of relatives.

The Russian news agency Itar-Tass said the wreckage and the bodies were found in woods near the Polish border several hours after the incident Tuesday. Details of how the balloon was shot down were unavailable.

Itar-Tass said the republic scrambled several fighters when the balloon was spotted.

The United States was not notified of the shooting for 24 hours, a delay that State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns in Washington called unacceptable.

“We are making very strong diplomatic protests. In this day and age, in the post-Cold War era, for this type of thing to happen is deeply regrettable,” he said. U.S. Embassy officials went to the site to recover the bodies and investigate the shooting.

Seventeen balloons, including three American teams, took off Saturday night from Wil, Switzerland, in the Gordon Bennett gas balloon competition.

The race has no set path or length. The winner is the team that flies the farthest distance on one load of fuel.

A spokesman for the Swiss Aeroclub said crews were required to have radios for contact with air-traffic controllers. He said organizers had secured permission for balloons to cross into Belarussian airspace. The balloons were easy to recognize on radar because of their size and slow movement.