A total of 433 hot air balloons took flight from an air base located in eastern France on Sunday, breaking records, according to Agence France-Presse.
The international air-balloon meeting "Lorraine Mondial Air Ballons," showcased a variety of spectacular balloon designs, including a French chateau and cartoon characters. The balloons, which took off from the Chambley-Bussieres air base, soared into the record books by beating the previous record for simultaneous hot air balloon flights.
The previous record was set at the same location two years ago with 391 hot air ballons taking to the air.
"A new page in ballooning history has been written," said Philippe Buron-Pilatre, organizer of the twice-yearly event, according to Yahoo News.
The record-breaking event had participants from more than 40 countries. The biggest risk for the balloons, which were arranged in parallel lines along a distance of four miles long for the launch, was that there was a possibility that two of them could have a collision and cause significant damage, something that has taken place twice since 1989, he added.
