Man falls to death from hot air balloon in Israel

The incident will be investigated by the police and civil aviation authority (File photo)

A man has died in northern Israel after he fell from a hot air balloon and landed on top of a moving car.

Israeli media reported that the man, in his 20s, was a member of the balloon's ground crew who was left hanging on to the balloon's basket after it took off.

The balloon's passengers tried to pull him inside, but he slipped and fell about 100m (330ft) onto a car driving along a highway near the town of Afula.

Paramedics said the man was declared dead at the scene.

The people who were inside the car did not require medical treatment, and the balloon and its passengers landed safely nearby.

The incident will be investigated by the police and civil aviation authority.

"Apparently he is a ground crew member who was supposed to be on the ground and not in the air, who for some unknown reason found himself hanging onto the balloon," local police officer Cpl Slava Bonchuk told the Ynet website.

"People are in shock. This is a very difficult case."