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The eleven victims of the balloon tragedy. Clockwise from top left: Chrisjan Jordann and Alexis Still, Valerie Bennett, Denise Dellabarca, Desmond and Ann Dean, pilot Lance Hopping, Diana Cox, Howard Cox, Stephen Hopkirk and Belinda Harter - Source: ONE News -
The final bodies are removed from the scene of the Carterton balloon crash - Source: ONE News -
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The last two bodies of the victims of a horrific hot air balloon crash near Carterton have been removed from the scene this afternoon.
Eleven people were killed when the balloon got tangled in powerlines and burst into flames early on Saturday morning.
Families of the victims were brought to the crash site today, and a small ceremony was held before the bodies were removed.
The process to formally identify the victims is expected to take several days to complete, and families are being given support as they come to terms with the tragedy.
The removal signals the final phase of the police operation, and officers have also needed counselling after dealing with the aftermath of the crash.
"I don't get them to describe the scene for me, but I get them to explain how they felt when they saw it," Carterton vicar Reverend Jenny Chalmers told ONE News.
"It's often them talking about their own mortality and how they felt. But really at this stage, people are mostly in shock."
Working into the night
Police were working into the night to remove victims' remains from the crash site and several bodies, including those of two victims who jumped from the flaming basket before impact, have already been moved to the Wellington Hospital mortuary.
The collection of evidence from the site is expected to continue for several days and while multiple agencies are investigating the cause of the crash it could take six months before any findings are released.
Local balloonists say it is crucial for the industry to find out what happened.
"You can lose a third of your balloon and it'll still fly, so what happened with Lance up there must've been pretty horrific," Rick Walczak told ONE News.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission vowed yesterday
to "leave no stone unturned" to uncover what caused the horrific
crash.