2013
Luxor hot air balloon crash
Hot air
balloons preparing to launch in Luxor, 2010; SU-283 is the 3rd
from left. |
|
Accident summary |
|
Date |
26 February 2013, 07:00
EST |
|
Type |
Hot air balloon crash |
|
Site |
Luxor,
Egypt |
|
Passengers |
20 |
|
Crew |
1 |
|
Injuries |
2 (serious) |
|
Fatalities |
19 |
|
Survivors |
2 |
|
Aircraft type |
Ultramagic N-425 balloon |
|
Operator |
Sky Cruise |
|
Registration |
SU-283 |
On 26 February 2013, at 07:00
Egypt Standard Time (05:00
UTC), a
hot air balloon crashed near
Luxor,
Egypt. The crash resulted in 19 deaths — 18 on-site and one in hospital
hours later.[1][2]
It was the deadliest hot air balloon crash in history, surpassing the
1989 Alice Springs hot air balloon crash in the
Northern Territory,
Australia.[3][4]
Background
Hot air balloons are commonly used in Egypt to provide tourists with
an aerial view of the country's landscape and famous landmarks.[3]
In Luxor, such rides offer views of the
Nile River, the temple of
Karnak,
and the
Valley of the Kings, among other attractions.[3][4]
Concerns over passenger safety have been raised from time to time, with
multiple crashes reported in 2007, 2008 and 2009.[2]
In April 2009, 16 people were hurt when a balloon crashed during a
tour of Luxor. After the crash, flights were grounded for six months
while safety measures were improved.[2]
Pilot training was increased and balloons were given a designated
landing zone.[4]
Following the toppling of
Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the rule of law has largely been ignored.[5]
Sky Cruises, the operator of the balloon, had suffered a previous
accident in October 2011.[6]
Crash
Early on 26 February, an
Ultramagic N-425 balloon,[7]
registration SU-283,[8]
operated by Sky Cruises departed on a sight-seeing flight carrying
twenty passengers and a pilot.[9]
According to a nearby balloon pilot, Mohamed Youssef, a fire started in
the Sky Cruise balloon a few meters off the ground as it was attempting
to land, possibly as a result of ground crew attempts to anchor the
balloon.[2]
One source says that a mooring cable got wrapped around a gas cylinder.[5]
The pilot and one passenger leaped to safety as the craft rose rapidly
aided by a wind gust.[2][9]
As the balloon rose, approximately seven passengers jumped from the
balloon in an attempt to avoid the fire according to eyewitnesses.[1][2]
At an altitude of approximately 300 metres (980 ft), there was an
explosion which could be heard several kilometers away.[2]
One eyewitness remarked that he heard "a huge bang. It was a frightening
bang, even though it was several kilometers away" from his location.[1]
Youssef said it appeared that a gas leak in one of the balloon's tanks
caused the fire and resulting explosion, consistent with information
reported in state-run media.[2][3]
Earlier reports had indicated that the balloon may have contacted a
power line.[5]
Two minutes later, the burning craft crashed into a sugar cane field
outside Al Dhabaa village, west of Luxor.[10]
A second explosion was reported 15 seconds later.[2]
Ambulances arrived on the scene after 15 minutes.[11]
Bodies were scattered across the field when rescue workers arrived on
the scene.[4]
The balloon's final moments were caught on amateur video.[4]
Casualties
At the time of its ascent, the balloon carried 20 passengers and one
crew member, the pilot. Nineteen of the passengers were tourists: nine
from
Hong Kong,
China,
four from
Japan, three from Britain, two from France, and one from
Hungary;
the 20th passenger was an Egyptian tour guide.[12]
The balloon's pilot was also from Egypt.[3]
Of the Hong Kongers, five were women and four were men. All of the Hong
Kong victims were members of three families who were a tour group under
the travel agency
Kuoni Travel. The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan said that the Japanese victims
were two couples from
Tokyo in
their 60s.[13]
The passengers were on a ten-day tour of Egypt organized by
JTB Corporation.[14]
The three Britons and the Hungarian-born passenger, a resident of the
UK, were on a tour organized by
Thomas Cook Group.[15]
The accident killed 18 of the passengers on-site; the pilot and two
passengers survived the initial crash.[16]
The two surviving passengers, both British men, were rushed to hospital
in critical condition.[5]
One of them was taken to a hospital in Luxor,[15]
then died after five hours of surgery.[5]
Dr. Mohammad Abdullah, the head of the emergency ward of the Luxor
hospital, said that the Briton who died in the hospital probably had a
50 metres (160 ft) fall.[15]
The surviving Briton was described as being in critical but stable
condition, while the pilot was said to be conscious and talking with
burns covering 70% of his body.[1][2]
The pilot was transferred from a hospital in Luxor to a facility in
Cairo.
The Independent said that the pilot "reportedly suffered 60 per
cent burns".[15]
Doctors at the
Luxor International Hospital said that many of the deceased suffered
severe internal injuries and severe burns.[15]
Aftermath
After news of the tragedy broke,
Governor of Luxor
Izzat Saad banned hot air balloon flights in his jurisdiction until
further notice.[3]
Egypt's
civil aviation minister,
Wael el-Maadawi, followed by suspending balloon flights nationwide.[2]
In a statement,
President
Mohamed Morsi expressed his "deepest condolences and sympathy for
the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident."[9]
National government spokesman Alaa Hadidi said a committee would be
formed to investigate the accident.[3]
Mohammed Osman, head of the Luxor's Tourism Chamber, accused civil
aviation authorities of lower standards prior to the accident. "I don't
want to blame the revolution for everything, but the laxness started
with the revolution," he said. "These people are not doing their job,
they are not checking the balloons and they just issue the licenses
without inspection."[4]
National authorities were quick to deny the allegations, noting that the
balloon had recently been inspected. Additionally, they said the pilot
should have shut off gas valves and attempted to put out the fire
instead of bailing, and thus may have contributed to the tragedy.[4]
An anonymous civil aviation ministry official acknowledged to the press
that standards had indeed been weakened by the current regime.[4]
The pilot's license had been renewed one month prior to the accident.[4]
Local and foreign media analysts speculated that the crash would hurt
Egypt's already weakened
tourism industry, which is down 22% from 2010 levels.[2][12]
Wael Ibrahim, who oversees the tourism syndicate in Luxor, did not
expect the accident to worsen the situation since tourism was already
down so much. "This (type of) accident could happen anywhere in the
world", he remarked.[16]
A local balloon operator, angered by the industry shutdown remarked "Why
the mass punishment? Do you stop all flights when you have a plane
crash? ... You will cut the livelihoods for nearly 3,000 human beings
who live on this kind of tourism."[4]
The bodies of the victims were transported to four hospitals in
Cairo.
Hong Kong immigration officers were scheduled to travel with the family
members of the Hong Kong victims to Cairo. Kuoni Travel, the
Hong
Kong travel agency that organized the tour attended by the Hong Kong
passengers, made plans for the six tour members who did not take the
balloon ride to leave Egypt. The tour agency stated that, in addition to
the $7000 USD per unit compensation, the agency planned to give
additional compensation.[13]