Burner, canvas of crashed balloon recovered in Va.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Authorities have recovered the burner and canvas of a hot air balloon that crashed in Virginia earlier this month, killing all three on board.

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says the balloon’s basket hasn’t yet been found.

Geller said Wednesday in a news release that boaters reported seeing what appeared to be large canvas in the Mattaponi River in Caroline County on Sunday. Authorities recovered both the canvas and the balloon’s burner.

Geller says the National Transportation Safety Board will take possession of the wreckage as evidence in its investigation of the crash.

The balloon hit power lines and caught fire on May 9 at the start of a balloon festival in Doswell. The pilot and two passengers were killed.

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