UK Foreign Office confirms the death of two Britons The Egyptian government has launched an investigation into a hot air balloon crash which killed 19 tourists in the city of Luxor earlier today. The tourists are believed to be British, French , Hong Kong and Japanese nationals. Britain’s Foreign Office has already confirmed the death of two Britons while a third UK resident is currently recovering in hospital.
The balloon was flying at 1,000 ft (300m) when it caught fire and exploded, plunging onto fields in the Dabayaa area of Luxor.
The governor of Luxor, Dr Ezzat Saad, has ordered a ban on all hot balloon flights until further notice. He confirmed that the country’s Civil Aviation Ministry is currently trying to determine the cause of the disaster.
Early indications from Sky Cruise, the company which operates the hot air balloon tours, show that the crash may have been caused by gas leaked during the flight.
Saad insisted that the crash was a “one-off incident”, claiming that the rapid response of emergency services to the scene saved three lives.
However, official figures dispute Saad’s claims.
In April 2009, 16 people were hurt, including two British women, when a balloon crashed during a tour of Luxor. It was believed to have hit a mobile phone transmission tower. As a result, hot air balloon flight in Egypt underwent a major safety overhaul, with pilots being given extra training.
Mahfoud Ali, a spokeperson for Egypt’s tourist board, said in a statement: "The tourism ministry has formed a committee to make an inventory of the nationalities of the deceased in the incident. We will then make contact with the relevant embassies so they can notify the victims’ families. We offer our condolences to all the families involved”
The Tourism Ministry also confirmed that it would conduct its own investigations into the incident, with a hope prosecuting any found guilty of negligence.