Blast 'could have been caused by a leak' after a spark from a lighter

An initial probe into a hot air balloon crash that killed 19 tourists in Egypt has ruled out any criminal activity as a cause of the accident, media said on Wednesday.

"Investigations so far by the general prosecution show no suspicion of criminal activity," the official MENA news agency reported, citing the preliminary findings of the investigation.

Four investigating teams were formed after Prime Minister Hisham Qandil ordered a probe into Tuesday's balloon crash in the ancient temple city of Luxor.

Luxor Governor Saad Ezzat and a delegation of Egyptian officials, as well as tourism industry professionals, visited the scene of the crash where they placed three bouquets of white flowers before observing a minute's silence.

Investigators have inspected the area in the dense sugar cane fields of Luxor, spoke to witnesses and residents and reviewed the operating company's paperwork and licenses.

According to the investigating teams, the company that operates the balloon rides, Sky Cruise, had passed a routine inspection by the Civil Aviation Ministry from Feb 13 to 15.

"The minister of aviation checked the documents of the company operating the balloon. He found everything is OK. The technical requirements were OK," Ezzat told reporters at the crash site.

Civil Aviation Minister Wael al-Maadawi said, meanwhile, that he had agreed to a request by British authorities to attend the probe.

"Things are very fresh at the moment. As the governor said, the investigations are ongoing, but if there is anything we could do, we will be happy to do so," British Consul John Hamilton said from Luxor.

"Our main concern at this time is with the people who suffered such a horrific accident, and I extend our deepest condolences to their families," he said.

The balloon, carrying 21 tourists from Hong Kong, Japan, France, Britain and Hungary, along with the pilot, was flying at 300 meters when it caught fire, exploded and plunged to earth, a security official said.

The pilot and one tourist survived by jumping out of the basket at some point before it hit the ground, said an employee of Sky Cruise, which operates the balloon rides. Both were taken to a hospital.

A video shot by a passenger on another flight appears to show smoke pouring from the balloon's basket for some time before the balloon itself collapsed, leaving the basket full of tourists to freefall to earth.

"This is terrible, just terrible," the employee told AFP by telephone, declining to give her name. "We don't yet know what happened exactly or what went wrong."

Ezzat had imposed an immediate ban on all hot-air balloon flights in the province as the prime minister ordered the investigation.

Security services cordoned off the crash site in Luxor's dense sugar cane fields, as police and residents inspected the charred remains of the balloon.

"There was a terrifying sound when the balloon exploded," one resident, Ahmed, 40, said.

"Bodies engulfed in flames were falling out of the balloon," said Youssef al-Tayyeb, another resident who witnessed the accident.

The balloon had been floating over the west bank of Luxor, one of Egypt's most renowned archaeological sites and home to the famous Valley of the Kings and the grand Temple of Hatshepsut, when it exploded.

Nine of those killed were from Hong Kong.

"We believe that there is a high possibility that nine of our customers have died," said Raymond Ng, general manager of travel agency Kuoni, which organized the Hong Kong residents' tour.

The five women and four men were between the ages of 33 and 62, Ng said, adding their relatives were flying to Cairo accompanied by three Kuoni staff.

The nine were among a group of 15 Hong Kong residents who had left for Egypt on Friday. Ng said that according to local employees, the balloon caught fire about an hour after it had set off, plummeting to the ground two minutes later.

French hot air balloon expert Philippe Buron-Pilatre de Rozier said the blast could have been caused by a leak after a spark caused by a lighter or a cigarette.

Another reason could be wear and tear due to poor maintenance, said Buron-Pilatre de Rozier. Hot air balloons such as the ones used in Egypt are generally 40 meters high and can carry up to 25 passengers, he added.

Tuesday's crash comes as widespread anger over safety standards in Egypt following several deadly transportation and construction accidents.

(China Daily 02/28/2013 page12)