Egypt resumes its balloon flight over Luxor after accident
A hot air balloon with 28 tourists drifted off course Monday due to a change in the direction and speed of the winds. The balloon was at an altitude of 60 meters (197 feet) when it turned off course.
Before landing in an open area, the balloon slightly collided with another.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said it had decided to resume racing after examining “all the safety measures and measures taken” to operate the popular flights.
He said the two companies handling the balloons involved in Monday’s incident were still suspended until the investigation was completed.
The balloon flight over Luxor, 510 kilometers (320 miles) south of Cairo, offers tourists spectacular views of the city’s ancient temples.
However, ballooning accidents are not uncommon. A balloon crash near Luxor in 2013 killed 19 tourists, arguably the deadliest accident on record.
In 2009, 16 tourists were injured when their balloon hit a cell phone transmission tower. A year earlier, seven tourists were injured in a similar incident.
