Balloon race organizers express concern over 2 US pilots missing over Adriatic

Race organizers say 2 US balloonists are missing

LONDON — Organizers of a long-running balloon race say they’ve lost contact with two U.S. pilots over the Adriatic Sea and are very concerned.

The 54th Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Race says that Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis were last detected flying between Italy and Croatia earlier Wednesday and have not been heard from in at least six hours.

Race director Don Cameron described the weather over the Adriatic as quite poor, with reports of thunderstorms. He said Italian and Croatian officials had been notified.

The race, which kicked off Saturday in the British city of Bristol, has a simple goal — to see who can fly the furthest on a maximum of about 1,000 cubic meters (35,300 cubic feet) of gas.