Dead balloon priest wins Darwin Award

A kamikaze Catholic priest who died when he floated out to sea after strapping hundreds of helium balloons to a chair has been honoured posthumously for his act of idiocy after scooping the top prize at the 2008 Darwin Awards.

In April 2008, Brazilian Reverend Adelir Antonio de Carli attempted to break the record for the longest time in-flight using only party balloons. He planned to use the money raised in his attempt to fund a 'spiritual' rest-stop for truckers in grain port of Paranagua.


However, de Carli’s flight ended in tragedy when he drifted out over the Atlantic Ocean at 20,000 feet and disappeared. Although he was able to alert the authorities to his predicament using a mobile phone, the 41-year-old priest will unable to relay his exact location because of his inability to work his satnav device.

Three months after he disappeared, Father de Carli’s body was found by sailors off the coast of south-east Brazil.

But now, thanks to the infamous Darwin Awards, his fateful flight will be forever remembered. Thanks to his unorthodox demise, de Carli was posthumously named the 2008Darwin Award Winner, the award given to the Darwin nominee whose unfortunate actions are chosen as being much more worthy of honour than the rest.

Amazingly, Father de Carli was not a runaway winner at the 2008 Darwins. He narrowly edged out 68-year-old Ivece Plattner, an Italian man who died running towards an express train waving his arms after his sports car stalled on a level crossing.

You can read more at the actual Darwin Awards website:

http://www.darwinawards.com Enjoy!