Luxor balloon disaster kills 18; Egypt launches probe
26 Feb 2013
The prosecutor-general of Egypt, Talaat Abdallah, has launched an investigation into the hot air balloon accident this morning that left 18 people dead in the historic tourist area of Luxor.
A team of prosecutors has rushed to Luxor to look into the case.
The Egyptian ministry of tourism said in a statement that it has formed a committee to follow developments and determine the cause of the accident.
Tourism minister Hisham Zazou, who is currently in Tehran, said that "those proven responsible for the accident will receive severe punishment", according to the statement.
A technical committee from the ministry of civil aviation has also arrived at the site of the accident.
The nine Hong Kong residents who died were from a group of 15 people from 3 families who had travelled together on a 10-day trip to Egypt, according to Kuoni Travel, the Hong Kong agency that handled the excursion.