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, an Egyptian 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.
Luxor governor Mahmoud Badr confirmed the accident, telling AFP he was at a hospital in the city checking on passengers taken there, and that a statement would be released soon.
Initial reports indicated an American tourist had been killed.
In 2013, a hot air balloon caught fire in mid-flight over Luxor, killing 19 tourists.
The accident was later blamed on a gas leak.
It came four years after 13 foreign tourists were injured when their hot air balloon struck a communications mast in Luxor and crashed.
#UPDATE A South African tourist was killed and 12 other people were injured when a hot air balloon crashed near Luxor on Friday, according to a health ministry official
— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 5, 2018
#Tourist killed as hot air balloon crashes in #Egypt's #Luxor https://t.co/BAeHKMt9BC pic.twitter.com/k9MYETnNX5
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) January 5, 2018
1 American woman was killed, 7 other passengers were injured in a hot air balloon carrying tourists crash land in bad weather in #Luxor south of #Egypt pic.twitter.com/atdyBRogON
— SaadAbedine (@SaadAbedine) January 5, 2018
New post (Hot air balloon carrying tourists crashes near Egypt’s Luxor) has been published on The Daily Digest - https://t.co/umaEQAR5Xk pic.twitter.com/IMNEWzplXB
— The Editor (@TheDailyDigest) January 5, 2018
