Story highlights A hot air balloon with 20 people crashes in Luxor, Egypt

Company identifies deceased as an Australian man

(CNN) A hot air balloon with 20 people crashed Friday in Egypt's ancient city of Luxor, killing at least one person and injuring more than a dozen others, according to Egypt's Civil Aviation Authority and a hot air balloon company.

At least one tourist was killed, according to a statement from the government agency, which referred to the incident as a hard landing.

The Sindbad hot air balloon company, whose craft crashed, identified the deceased as an Australian man.

Strong winds were responsible for the crash, the hot air balloon company said.

"The balloon was getting ready to land at 6:30 a.m., when a sudden, strong wind erupted, causing a hard landing," Hany Al-Sayyed, Sinbad's traffic manager, told CNN.

"The victim is an Australian man of South African descent. His head was hit during the landing. Most of the other injuries are minor, scratches to the torso, and they were taken to the hospital," he said.

Read More</s>Egyptian officials say a sightseeing balloon carrying foreign tourists over the southern city of Luxor has crash landed, killing one tourist and injuring seven.

The officials say Friday's incident was caused by strong winds that forced the balloon off its course above the city's pharaonic temples and tombs.

There were no details immediately on the nationalities of the victims. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under regulations.

Hot air balloon incidents have occurred in the past over ancient Luxor.

In 2013, 19 foreign tourists were killed when their balloon caught fire. In 2016, Egypt temporarily halted balloon flights after 22 Chinese tourists suffered minor injuries in a crash landing of their hot air balloon.

Since then, balloon rides are monitored by cameras and banned from flying above 2,000 meters.</s>LUXOR, Egypt — A hot air balloon with foreign tourists sightseeing over the southern city of Luxor crash landed on Friday, killing a tourist from South Africa and injuring seven others, Egyptian officials said.

The officials said the incident was caused by strong winds that forced the balloon, which was carrying 20 tourists, off its course above the ancient city, home to some of Egypt’s most remarkable pharaonic temples and tombs.

The balloon took off shortly before sunrise and flew about 45 minutes at an altitude of 450 metres (1,476 feet) before the pilot lost control due to strong wind that forced a crash landing in a mountainous area, the officials said.

The officials said the killed tourist was South African. No details were immediately available on the nationalities of the other victims. The remaining 12 tourists were unhurt.

Other balloons had taken off around the same time but landed safely, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Earlier in the day, Egypt’s meteorological service had warned of strong winds across the country mainly in the Nile River delta and northern Egypt.

Hot air balloon incidents have occurred in the past over ancient Luxor. The deadliest took place in 2013 when a balloon flying over the city caught fire and plunged about 305 metres (1,000 feet) to the ground, crashing into a sugar cane field and killing at least 19 foreign tourists.

In 2016, Egypt temporarily halted balloon flights after 22 Chinese tourists suffered minor injuries in a crash landing of their hot air balloon.

Over the years, Egypt has tightened safety rules for balloon rides, which are now monitored by cameras and banned from flying above 2,000 metres (6,562 feet).

Hot air balloon flights above Luxor are famous among tourists for because of the spectacular views of the ancient Karnak and the temples of Luxor. Such flights usually start before sunrise and pass over green fields leading to the Valley of the Kings — the burial site of famous boy king Tutankhamun and other pharaohs.

Egypt’s vital but ailing tourism industry, partially driven by sightseeing, has been hit hard by extremist attacks and political turmoil following the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

In 2015, tourism was dealt a blow when the Islamic State group’s affiliate in Egypt downed a Russian passenger plane over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people aboard. Egypt never officially said what caused the downing of the Russian plane but IS said it blew up the plane with a bomb smuggled on board.

After that bombing, Russia imposed a ban on all flights to Egypt and Egypt’s national carrier is still barred from flying to Russia. Flights between Moscow and Cairo are planned to be resumed in February, after more than a two-year hiatus.

The Egyptian government has been trying to draw tourists back to the country by announcing ancient discoveries and tightening security measures around tourist sites.</s>One tourist is dead and a dozen more were injured in a hot air balloon crash in Egypt on Friday, the latest balloon accident in a number of tragedies in the popular tourist region of Luxor over the past few years.

All of those involved in the accident are believed to be foreign tourists. An official from Luxor's governor's office said the person killed was a 36-year-old woman from South Africa. The injured included tourists from Spain, South Africa and Argentina.

The Egyptian Ministry of Health said 12 people were injured in the crash, which took place at about 7:30 a.m. local time. The Egypt Aviation Authority said there were 20 passengers on the balloon.

The crash was caused by strong winds that led the pilot to lose control over the balloon as he was landing, according to the governor's statement.

The accident occurred in Luxor, in southern Egypt, which is popular with tourists due to its number of ancient temples and ruins. The Karnak Temple Complex, which dates back to around 2000 B.C., is located within the modern-day city. The Valley of the Kings, which has dozens of ancient tombs, including that of King Tutankhamun, is located just outside the city.

Hot air balloon rides were temporarily suspended in Egypt in 2016 after a crash landing led to the injuries of 22 Chinese tourists.

The deadliest balloon crash in history occurred in February 2013 in Luxor, when 19 people were killed. Balloon flights were grounded for two months after that accident.

Sixteen people were injured in a Luxor hot air balloon flight in 2011 as well.</s>LUXOR, Egypt (AP) — A hot air balloon with foreign tourists sightseeing over the southern city of Luxor crash landed on Friday, killing one tourist and injuring seven others, Egyptian officials said.

The officials said the incident was caused by strong winds that forced the balloon, which was carrying 20 tourists, off its course above the ancient city, home to some of Egypt's most remarkable pharaonic temples and tombs.

The remaining 12 tourists were unhurt. No details were immediately available on the nationalities of the victims.

Other balloons had taken off around the same time but landed safely, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Earlier in the day, Egypt's meteorological service had warned of strong winds across the country mainly in the Nile River delta and northern Egypt.

Hot air balloon incidents have occurred in the past over ancient Luxor. The deadliest took place in 2013 when a balloon flying over the city caught fire and plunged about 305 meters (1,000 feet) to the ground, crashing into a sugar cane field and killing at least 19 foreign tourists.

In 2016, Egypt temporarily halted balloon flights after 22 Chinese tourists suffered minor injuries in a crash landing of their hot air balloon.

Over the years, Egypt has tightened safety rules for balloon rides, which are now monitored by cameras and banned from flying above 2,000 meters (6,562 feet).

Hot air balloon flights above Luxor are famous among tourists for because of the spectacular views of the ancient Karnak and the temples of Luxor. Such flights usually start before sunrise and pass over green fields leading to the Valley of the Kings — the burial site of famous boy king Tutankhamun and other pharaohs.

Egypt's vital but ailing tourism industry, partially driven by sightseeing, has been hit hard by extremist attacks and political turmoil following the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

In 2015, tourism was dealt a blow when the Islamic State group's affiliate in Egypt downed a Russian passenger plane over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people aboard. Egypt never officially said what caused the downing of the Russian plane but IS said it blew up the plane with a bomb smuggled on board.

After that bombing, Russia imposed a ban on all flights to Egypt and Egypt's national carrier is still barred from flying to Russia.

Since then, the Egyptian government has been trying to draw tourists back to the country by announcing ancient discoveries and tightening security measures around tourist sites.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>A sightseeing balloon carrying foreign tourists over the southern Egyptian city of Luxor crashed Friday, killing one tourist and injuring seven.

Egyptian authorities said the incident was caused by strong winds that forced the balloon off its course above the city’s pharaonic temples and tombs.

Authorities said the killed tourist was a South African national.

Hot air balloon incidents have occurred in the past over ancient Luxor:

- In 2013, 19 foreign tourists were killed when their balloon caught fire.

- In 2016, Egypt temporarily halted balloon flights after 22 Chinese tourists suffered minor injuries in a crash landing of their hot air balloon.

More: Egypt's new cathedral may be a big target for ISIS, Coptic Christians fear</s>Cairo - Egyptian prosecutors have ordered the detention of four people over a hot air balloon crash that killed one tourist and wounded at least a dozen others.

Saturday's decision includes the balloon's pilot, the director of the airport from which it took off and two officials from the balloon-owning company. They were detained for four days pending an investigation.

Also read: Hot air balloon crash: One South African dead, two injured in Egypt

The incident occurred Friday when strong winds forced the balloon, carrying 20 tourists, off course above the southern city of Luxor. Egypt's Civil Aviation Ministry said other balloons carrying over 400 tourists had taken off and landed safely on Friday.

Luxor has a history of hot air balloon crashes. The deadliest was in 2013 when at least 19 foreign tourists were killed when theirs caught fire.</s>LUXOR, Egypt -- Egyptian officials say a sightseeing balloon carrying foreign tourists over the southern city of Luxor has crash landed, killing one tourist and injuring seven.

The officials say Friday's incident was caused by strong winds that forced the balloon off its course above the city's pharaonic temples and tombs.

A 36-year-old South African woman was killed in the crash, an official at Egypt's Ministry of Health told CBS News, and two other passengers were in critical condition. The nationalities of the dozen people left injured, including the two with serious injuries, was not immediately clear.

Hot air balloon incidents have occurred in the past over ancient Luxor.

In 2013, 19 foreign tourists were killed when their balloon caught fire. In 2016, Egypt temporarily halted balloon flights after 22 Chinese tourists suffered minor injuries in a crash landing of their hot air balloon.

Since then, balloon rides are monitored by cameras and banned from flying above 2,000 meters (yards).</s>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, a 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.

Their nationalities were not immediately clear.

Tourists often take early morning hot air balloon rides over the city and the ancient Egyptian temples and relics in neighbouring areas.

One of the main attractions is the Karnak temple, which dates back thousands of years.

The hot air balloons also offer views of the Valley of the Kings, where pharaonic nobility were buried.

Hot air balloon companies in Luxor offer the tours usually starting at sunrise.

The government had previously suspended the rides after two crashes in four years.

In 2009, 13 tourists were injured when their hot air balloon struck a communications mast in Luxor and crashed.

In 2013, a hot air balloon caught fire in mid-flight over Luxor, killing 19 tourists.

A fact-finding committee later found that the accident was probably caused by a gas leak near the burner, sparking a blaze that spread throughout the balloon.

The tourists, from Britain, France, Hong Kong, Hungary and Japan, died when the balloon plummeted to the ground after catching fire.

The pilot and one tourist survived by jumping from the balloon, officials said at the time.

Friday's accident comes as the government tries to woo back tourists following years of unrest that drove them away.

A jihadist insurgency led by the Islamic State group has targeted tourists, including bombing a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from an Egyptian resort in 2015 that killed all 224 people on board.</s>One tourist is dead and a dozen more were injured in a hot air balloon crash in Egypt on Friday, the latest balloon accident among a number of tragedies in the region over the past few years.

All of those involved in the accident are believed to be foreign tourists. It is not yet known which countries the injured are from.

Egypt's Ministry of Health confirmed one person was killed and 12 injured in the crash.

The accident occurred in Luxor, in southern Egypt, which is popular with tourists due to its number of ancient temples and ruins. The Karnak Temple Complex, which dates back to around 2000 B.C., is located within the modern-day city. The Valley of the Kings, which has dozens of ancient tombs, including that of King Tutankhamun, is located just outside the city.

Hot air balloon rides were temporarily suspended in Egypt in 2016 after a crash landing led to the injuries of 22 Chinese tourists.

The deadliest balloon crash in history occurred in February 2013 in Luxor, when 19 people were killed. Balloon flights were grounded for two months after that accident.

Sixteen people were injured in a Luxor hot air balloon flight in 2011 as well.
A hot air balloon crashes due to strong winds in Egypt's Luxor Governorate. A tourist from Australia is killed and 12 other tourists are injured. The Egypt Aviation Authority says there were 20 passengers on the balloon.