In pictures: Egypt balloon crash
- Published
A hot air balloon carrying tourists has crashed near the Egyptian city of Luxor. Reports say at least 19 tourists were killed.
Officials said the balloon was about 1,000 ft (300m) up when it caught fire about an hour after it lifted off.
Early morning balloon flights are a feature of tourism in the Luxor area, which is peppered with ancient Egyptian temples and tombs.
Several balloons, each carrying some 20 tourists, lifted off into clear skies at the same time on Tuesday morning. They were photographed by a passenger on one flight, American Christopher Michel.
During the flight Mr Michel captured images of another balloon as his passed by. He did not see the crash or identify which balloon failed.
The balloon came down in flames in a sugar cane field. Initial reports said a gas canister on board had exploded.
On the ground, those who reached the scene of the crash found dead and injured passengers, as well as their personal belongings, in the sugar cane field.
The crash is Egypt's worst hot air balloon accident. A similar accident in the same area in 2009 injured 16 people.
British, French, Hong Kong and Japanese nationals are known to be among those killed. The pilot and at least one of the tourists on board survived.