Ocean hunt for daredevil priest after ballooning stunt backfires
Father Adelir Antonio de Carli sets off on the balloon mission that went wrong
A priest in Brazil who took to the skies under a cluster of helium balloons to raise money for a charity in his parish was reported missing somewhere in the southern Atlantic yesterday after his makeshift flying device got caught in crosswinds and veered off course.
Rescue helicopters and small fishing boats were searching for Father Adelir Antonio de Carli after pieces of balloon were found floating in the ocean off the coast of Santa Catarina state in the south of the country.
"Without a doubt they will find him alive," said Denise Gallas, the treasurer of the Sao Cristovao church. "He's alive somewhere out there."
Father Carli, a noted daredevil who enjoys skydiving, took off from the port city of Paranagua, north of Santa Catarina, on Sunday afternoon.
Smiling
His ambition was to break the record 19 hours for helium-propelled flight. Footage of the effort showed the priest smiling as he wrapped himself in an insulation blanket before pulling on a flight suit, helmet and parachute.
He made the sign of the cross as his seat soared up into the air under a cluster of green, red, white and yellow balloons. He reached about 20,000 feet before descending to about 8,200 feet.
His plan was to fly almost 500 miles to Dourados to raise money for a spiritual rest stop in his parish that he thought might be useful for truckers rumbling in and out of the port.
Phone
The winds, however, pushed him south-east. He had a GPS device to let him know what was happening and a satellite phone to stay in touch with the Paranagua port authority.
Communications went down, however, once he veered 30 miles off the coast. On Monday, firefighters from the coastal town of Sao Francisco do Sul found pieces of balloon floating near the beach.
Nobody, however, took that as a sign that all was lost. Authorities said the area was dotted with small islands, any of which could have served as a refuge for the missing priest. He could also be bobbing somewhere on the ocean -- the seat he used is lined with airtight pockets that can form a makeshift life raft. Father Carli was carrying cereal bars, energy pills and water when he took off. (©Independent News Service)(
- Andrew Gumbel
