19 tourists die as balloon explodes

A hot air balloon exploded and plunged to earth at Egypt's ancient temple city of Luxor during a sunrise flight on Tuesday, killing up to 19 tourists, including Asians and Europeans, sources said. The balloon carrying 21 tourists from Hong Kong, Japan, France, Britain and Hungary was flying at 300 metres (1,000 feet) when it exploded and caught fire, a security official said.
The pilot and one tourist survived by jumping out of the basket moments before it hit the ground, said an employee at the company operating the balloon, Sky Cruise. Both were taken to hospital.