Eleven tourists on a hot air balloon sightseeing tour over Luxor’s ancient temples in Egypt’s southern province were blown off course and driven into the desert recently, causing a temporary suspension of the popular tourist activity.
A search and rescue plane was dispatched to find the balloon, which had been brought to the ground safely after the operator managed to regain control.
The group included five people from India, four from China, one from the UK and one from Egypt. All were rescued uninjured.
This incident, which took place on 13 June, is not the first of its kind; in early 2018 a South African tourist was killed and 12 others injured after a hot air balloon crash-landed over Luxor as the pilot tried to navigate strong winds. In 2013, 19 tourists also died after the hot air balloon that they were in caught on fire, which caused an explosion in the gas canister.
Salem Balloons, based in Luxor, has confirmed that the balloon trips are currently still on hold.
Also read: Cruising the Nile from Aswan to Luxor by felucca
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