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29 March 2024

One tourist killed, 12 injured in air balloon crash in Egypt

(File Photo) A hot air balloon carrying around 20 people including tourists crashed near Egypt's ancient city of Luxor on January 5, 2018 security and medical officials said. (AFP)

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By AFP

A South African tourist was killed and 12 other people were injured when a hot air balloon crashed near Egypt's ancient city of Luxor on Friday, a health ministry official said.

Sharif Wadie, the assistant health minister in charge of emergency services, told AFP there were no other casualties but did not elaborate on the extent of the passengers' injuries.

Their nationalities were not immediately clear.

Tourists often take early morning hot air balloon rides over the city and the ancient Egyptian temples and relics in neighbouring areas.

One of the main attractions is the Karnak temple, which dates back thousands of years.

The hot air balloons also offer views of the Valley of the Kings, where pharaonic nobility were buried.

Hot air balloon companies in Luxor offer the tours usually starting at sunrise.

The government had previously suspended the rides after two crashes in four years.

In 2009, 13 tourists were injured when their hot air balloon struck a communications mast in Luxor and crashed.

In 2013, a hot air balloon caught fire in mid-flight over Luxor, killing 19 tourists.

A fact-finding committee later found that the accident was probably caused by a gas leak near the burner, sparking a blaze that spread throughout the balloon.

The tourists, from Britain, France, Hong Kong, Hungary and Japan, died when the balloon plummeted to the ground after catching fire.

The pilot and one tourist survived by jumping from the balloon, officials said at the time.

Friday's accident comes as the government tries to woo back tourists following years of unrest that drove them away.

A jihadist insurgency led by the Islamic State group has targeted tourists, including bombing a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from an Egyptian resort in 2015 that killed all 224 people on board.