Jan. 6 (UPI) — A woman was killed and 19 others were injured Friday morning when a hot air balloon crashed in Egypt, according to authorities.
The crash happened in Luxor, a popular tourist destination on the banks of the Nile River in southern Egypt. The woman killed was a 36-year-old South African and the injured were tourists from Spain, South Africa and Argentina, according to a government official.
Strong winds led to the crash, causing the balloon to veer off course about 45 minutes into the flight, officials said.
In 2016, hot air balloon rides were temporarily suspended in Egypt after a crash led to 22 Chinese tourists being injured.
The deadliest crash occurred in 2013 when 19 people, mostly Asian and European tourists, were killed after the balloon caught fire in a mid-air gas explosion and plummeted 1,000 feet into a sugar cane field.
The area draws a lot of tourists because of its number of ancient temples and ruins, including the Karnak Temple Complex, which dates to 2000 B.C. and the Valley of the Kings, which has dozens of tombs, including the one of King Tutankhamun.
