Girl, 5, swept away by balloon
A young British girl was feared dead after she was swept away in the mooring ropes of a helium balloon caught by high winds.
The Ministry of Defence described the incident at a British army base in western Germany as a "freak accident".
The parents of the girl, who is five, are being offered psychological support.
One of them works for the Army at Joint Headquarters (JHQ) in Rheindalen near Monchengladbach, an MoD spokeswoman said.
The accident happened yesterday afternoon during the first day of the base's International Show, which promised a family day out.
The spokeswoman said: "There was nice weather in the morning but during the course of the show the weather changed very quickly and a high wind dragged the balloon away."
It appeared the girl was standing near the balloon and was caught up in mooring ropes which were anchoring it to the ground.
The spokeswoman said: "It looks like it was a freak accident."
The balloon was later found 40 miles away but there was no sign of the girl, according to BBC Online.
Local police said there was no chance she survived. The rest of the show, which was to continue today, has been cancelled.
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