Free Republic

Breaking news: Body of New Mexico balloonist Abruzzo, co-pilot recovered (AP) ROME — An Italian fishing boat on Monday pulled the remains of two American balloonists from the Adriatic Sea, ending a two-month hunt for the pair's bodies in one of ballooning's darkest chapters. The boat hauled in the balloon and its gondola with the bodies of the Americans still inside while fishing 11 miles (17 kilometers) north of Vieste before dawn, said Cmdr. Guido Limongelli of the Vieste port. Viete is on Italy's eastern Adriatic coast in the southern Puglia region, which makes up the "heel" of boot-shaped Italy....

(CNN) -- Authorities in Italy have called off the search for two Americans who went missing during a hot-air balloon race. The search ended Monday afternoon and will not resume, said Massimo Maccheroni of the Italian coastal guards. No balloon debris was found during more than four days of searching, he said. A balloon carrying Richard Abruzzo of New Mexico and Carol Rymer-Davis of Colorado over the Adriatic Sea near Italy made a rapid descent during rough weather, conditions that would make their survival "unlikely," race organizers have said. "This is very pessimistic information," said a statement from the race...

An air search for two missing balloonists taking part in the Gordon Bennett Cup race resumed at first light on Thursday. The Italian coastguard said aircraft would have to stop searching at 1900 BST on Wednesday when it got dark. But boats had been due to continue to search for them through the night. The hydrogen balloon, piloted by Americans Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis, went missing in thunderstorms over the Adriatic. Don Cameron, the race's flight director, said nothing had been found so far. He said the event's control centre was providing technical details to the Italian coastguard...