The Egyptian Government has grounded all balloon flights over Luxor until a safety investigation is complete.
Instead of floating serenely above the ancient temples of Luxor, in Egypt, the balloon careered out of control and into the mast, before crashing some 30 feet to the ground.
The balloon hit power-lines as it plunged downwards, sending sparks in all directions. Once it hit the floor, the balloon was blown along the ground, spilling passengers out of the basket as it went. Sixteen tourists were injured, some of them seriously, as they were thrown, or they scrambled, from the wreckage.
Caroline Williams, from Horsham in West Sussex, and who fractured her spine in the crash, said she had sensed something was wrong almost as soon as the balloon, which was carrying 26 people, took off at dawn.
“The pilot looked agitated and angry, and he was shouting at people. I strongly felt I wanted to get out of the basket,” she said, wincing and letting out a gasp, before describing what happened next.
“The balloon was sort of bumping around and the basket was tipping. I really felt it was dangerous situation. I saw the mast and next thing there was a ripping noise. I looked up and there was a tear in the balloon. We hit the ground with this mighty crash.”
Mrs Williams, who works helping children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), crawled out of the basket, but when she tried to stand she felt the pain in her back. “The thing was, nobody came,” she said. “The pilot sort of wandered around. All these men came and just packed up the balloon, and people were still lying all around.”
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