S African tourist killed in Egypt balloon crash

CAIRO: 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. The nationalities of the injured were not immediately clear. Egypt’s civil aviation ministry said 21 hot air balloons had taken off and landed with no incident on Friday but the one that crashed had landed too forcefully.

Twenty people had been on board, it said, adding that weather conditions had conformed to flight standards. 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.