Brazil says body is that of ballooning priest

Authorities said DNA from a body found earlier this month off Brazil's coast matches a priest who disappeared while flying over the Atlantic attached to hundreds of brightly colored party balloons.

Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carli set off from the Brazilian port city of Paranagua on April 20 strapped to 1,000 helium-filled balloons in an attempt to raise money to build a rest stop and worship center for truckers.

The 41-year-old Roman Catholic priest disappeared and the balloons were found in the water a day later. Tugboat workers found a body in early July that authorities believed belonged to the priest.

Medical examiner worker Rosane Alves on Tuesday said that DNA tests had confirmed the body was de Carli.