Tragedy in the Alps

Monday 10th August 2009, 3:00PM BST.

The Jersey balloon (on the left) had taken off from Switzerland

A JERSEY adventurer fell to his death off a cliff in the Alps on Friday while trying to secure his hot-air balloon.

Serge Cuhat, who owns the Old Bank House Hotel in Gorey, had just finished a 17-hour flight with fellow Islander Sten Adeler when the balloon touched down in the Italian Alps.

‘He fell off a ledge and into the abyss,’ said Mr Adeler. ‘He had a substantial drop – we were 8,000 feet up.’

The pair were preparing to represent Jersey in a prestigious international hot-air ballooning race. Mr Cuhat, the 60-year-old leader of the Jersey balloon team, was securing the Isle of Jersey balloon at about 1.50 pm when it is believed that he slipped on a boulder and fell over the drop.

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