One killed and a dozen injured in Luxor hot air balloon crash

By Raf Sanchez

and Magdy Samaan in Cairo

A SOUTH African man was killed and 12 other tourists were hurt when their hot air balloon crashed yesterday near the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor.

The balloon took off at dawn with 20 people on board and flew for around 45 minutes over Luxor’s pharaonic temples and tombs before it crash landed, the government said.

The man killed was not immediately identified but the ministry of health said he was 34. An Argentine and two French tourists were also being treated in hospital while the others were released.

The accident is the third major hot air balloon crash in Luxor since 2009 and a fresh blow to Egypt’s struggling tourism industry, which has suffered as the country reels from terror attacks.

Strong winds and sandstorms lashed much of the country yesterday and some motorways in Luxor were closed because of the poor visibility.

Nevertheless, the balloon and 21 others were allowed to take off, the civil aviation ministry said.

“All the balloons landed safely, except for one that drifted and made a hard landing with 20 passengers aboard, killing one passenger and injuring others,” a spokesman said.

Ahmed Abdel-al, head of the General Meteorological Authority, said the weather in Luxor had been “good and very stable” and winds did not exceed 10mph. Pictures from the scene showed the deflated multicoloured balloon stretched out on the sand while the basket appeared largely undamaged.

In 2009, 13 people were injured when their balloon hit a mobile phone mast in Luxor. Nineteen tourists died in 2013 when their balloon caught fire.