World | Italy Italy Ends Search for US Balloonists 'No hope' of finding Americans alive: officials By Nick McMaster Posted Oct 4, 2010 3:42 PM CDT Copied Hot air balloons fill the sky during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. (AP) Italian police canceled the search for two balloonists who went missing six days ago while flying over the Mediterranean, the Telegraph reports, with authorities saying there was "no hope" of finding them alive. The pair, who are American citizens, disappeared while flying through a patch of thunderstorms during a race over Europe. Italian officials said they "almost certainly" fell into the Mediterranean sea. Read These Next America's most popular cooking oil is tied to weight gain. Kristi Noem issues a warning: 'We don't want them.' Another Netflix change has left users torqued. A friend tipped off the FBI to her mass shooting plan. Report an error