Residents Feared A Plane Had Crashed In The Mountains

One of Google's Loon Balloons, part of an experiment that could lead to the distribution of Internet service via floating relay stations, went down in central Mexico last week, causing concern among the local residents in the mountainous township.

The News Tribune newspaper reports that people living near the location where the balloon went down first reported that an aircraft had crashed (technically not incorrect), then that a skydiver had fallen to Earth. Military personnel, state police, and civil defense workers all rushed to the area Thursday, and found one of Google's Project Loon balloons on the ground.

In a statement, the Veracruz state government said that the balloon " "caused surprise among inhabitants because of the sound it made when it fell."

Manuel Escalera, spokesman for the civil defense agency in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, said that the equipment came down in an unpopulated area and no one was injured.

Local authorities have notified Google to come retrieve their balloon and communications gear.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.google.com/loon