Tourist Dead In Luxor Hot Air Balloon Crash, Several Others Injured

UPDATE: 6:35 a.m. EST — The tourist killed in the hot air balloon accident Friday in Luxor, Egypt, was a South African woman and not a U.S. citizen, as previously reported by Egyptian media. Several news organizations reported the fact, citing sources from the site of the accident.

Spokesman of Egypt's Ministry of Health Jaled Migahet confirmed the deceased was 36 years of age, though he refused to comment on the nationality of the victim.

According to Spanish new outlet Eldia, four of the 12 tourists injured in the crash were from Spain. Ten of the 12 injured tourists who were admitted in the Luxor International Hospital were discharged. The remaining two were scheduled to undergo surgeries, the nature of which was unknown.

Update: 3:58 a.m. EST — The number of tourists injured in the hot air balloon crash Friday in Luxor, Egypt, was reported as 12, instead of the earlier seven.

Egyptian news outlet Al-Masry Al-Youm reported five other hot air balloons were knocked off course due to unexpectedly strong incoming wind, causing all of them to initiate emergency landing in the mountainous area, near the new desert road in the city.

Luxor Governor Mohammed Sayed Badr confirmed the accident, adding he was already at the hospital checking on those injured in the accident. He was expected to release an official statement.

Original story:

A hot air balloon flying over the city of Luxor, a city in southern Egypt, crashed Friday, Egyptian authorities said. A citizen of the United States who was in the balloon at the time reportedly died in the incident.

The sightseeing balloon was carrying 21 tourists of various nationalities at the time. The crash killed one passenger and injured seven others, according to initial reports. According to Egyptian local news outlet Ahram Online, the dead tourist was a U.S. citizen.

The cause of the crash was stated as rough weather conditions at the time of the flight. As a result of strong incoming winds, the balloon flew off its course and was forced to fly above the archaeological city's temples and tombs.

The injured were transferred to the Luxor International Hospital, but their condition or the extent of their injuries were not immediately known. No other details regarding the incident were available, KLMTY reported.

This is not the first hot air balloon crash recorded in the city of Luxor in the recent years. Nineteen foreign tourists were killed when their balloon caught fire in 2013. More recently, in 2016, 22 Chinese tourists sustained minor injuries when the hot air balloon they were flying in crash-landed. The service operating the hot air balloons was temporarily suspended following that incident.

The service was resumed after new rules and regulations were put in place, which banned the balloons from flying above 2,000 meters (1.2 miles) above the surface. Also, balloons are now monitored by 22 cameras during the flight, San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Luxor is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Egypt. It is also known as the “City of Temples” in Arabic, as it houses monuments constructed by pharaohs thousands of years ago. The hot air balloon service is heavily promoted in Luxor, often mentioned as the best way to tour the city.

“Airships, or hot air balloons, are known for mainly depending on the expected weather conditions and wind directions during flight,” reads Egyptian magazine Egypt Today. “These conditions are only available in certain seasons and in a few countries around the world, such as England, Spain, Turkey, Kenya and Egypt.”