Three Britons Dead In Egypt Balloon Explosion

A third British tourist has died of injuries sustained when a hot air balloon exploded near the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor.

Tour operator Thomas Cook earlier confirmed that two Britons were among the dead, adding that two other British nationals had been taken to hospital suffering critical injuries.

One of the injured Britons has since died in hospital, taking the total death toll from the accident to 19 people.

"What happened in Luxor this morning is a terrible tragedy and the thoughts of everyone in Thomas Cook are with our guests, their family and friends," said Thomas Cook UK & Continental Europe CEO Peter Fankhauser.

"We have a very experienced team in (the) resort ... and we're providing our full support to the family and friends of the deceased at this difficult time."

The site at Luxor 40 minutes before the crash (Pic: @chrismichel)

Officials said the balloon, which was carrying 21 people and flying at 1,000ft, caught fire and exploded during a trip at sunrise.

It plunged into sugar cane fields as it travelled over Qurna, in Luxor's West Bank.

France's Foreign Ministry has confirmed that two French nationals also died in the crash.

Japanese citizens, as well as nine tourists from Hong Kong, are believed to be among other casualties.

One Briton and the balloon's pilot are now believed to be the only people to survive the crash.

Luxor Governor Ezzat Saad has imposed an immediate ban on all hot air balloon flights in the province as Prime Minister Hesham Qandeel ordered an investigation into the accident.

Witness Christopher Michel was travelling in one of several balloons in the air above Luxor early on Tuesday morning.

He told Sky News: "I was in one of about eight balloons that were flying that morning. We were approaching landing ... coming down in a remote field just outside of Luxor.

"We heard a loud explosion behind us, and I looked back and saw lots of smoke. It wasn't immediately clear that it was a balloon. We were surrounded by the balloons that had been flying with us.

"Then we could see the reaction of the pilot on the balloon and he said that this hasn't happened in a long time."

Ballooning in Luxor is very popular with tourists visiting its temples

Hot air ballooning is popular with tourists who go to Luxor to visit its ancient temples and the tombs of the Valley of the Kings.

But the activity is not without its dangers. In April 2009, 16 people were hurt - including two British women - when a balloon crashed during a tour of Luxor.

The balloon was believed to have hit a mobile phone transmission tower near the banks of the Nile.

Following the 2009 crash, early morning hot air balloon flights over the Valley of the Kings were suspended for six months while safety measures were tightened up.

During the break, all 42 pilots from the eight companies who operate flights had extra training.

A notice on the Foreign Office website warns tourists: "There were three serious hot air balloon accidents in Luxor in 2009. You should consider the operator's safety arrangements carefully."

Egypt's tourism industry has suffered a sharp downturn in visitor numbers since the 2011 uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, with two years of political instability scaring off foreign tourists.

Thomas Cook UK has opened a hotline for families who have relatives in Egypt: 0800 107 5638.

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