On February 26, 2013, at 07:00 Egyptian Standard Time (05:00 UTC), a hot air balloon crashed near Luxor, Egypt. The accident resulted in 19 deaths from 21 passengers - 18 at the scene and one in the hospital hours later. This is the deadliest balloon accident in history and deadly aerostat disaster since the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 that killed 36 people.
Video 2013 Luxor hot air balloon crash
​​â € <â €
Hot air balloons are commonly used in Egypt to provide tourists with an aerial view of the country landscape and famous landmarks. In Luxor, such rides offer views of the Nile, the Karnak temple, and the Valley of the Kings, among other attractions. Concerns over passenger safety have increased over time, with some accidents reported in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
In April 2009, 16 people were injured when a balloon crashed during a tour of Luxor. After the accident, the flight was earmarked for six months while security measures were stepped up. The pilot training is enhanced and the balloon is given a specified landing zone. Following the fall of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the rule of law has been ignored.
Sky Cruise, the operator of the balloon, had an accident before in October 2011, which even involves the same balloon. The Company has stated that they are properly insured and ready to compensate the victims' families.
Maps 2013 Luxor hot air balloon crash
Crash
On February 26, an Ultramagic N-425 balloon, the SU-283 registration, operated by Sky Cruise departed with a flight carrying twenty passengers and a pilot. According to the nearest balloon pilot, Mohamed Youssef, a fire started in a Sky Cruise balloon a few meters off the ground while trying to land, as a result of a leaking fuel line. As the fire engulfed the basket, the pilot and one passenger jumped into safety as the plane rose quickly with the help of a gust of wind. As the balloon rises, about seven passengers jump to their deaths to escape from the fire. At a height of about 300 meters (980 feet), there is an explosion that can be heard several kilometers away. The remaining balloons and passengers fell to the ground, killing all the people left on board. An eyewitness said that he heard "a big explosion - it was a frightening eruption, though a few kilometers away" from its location. Youssef said it emerged that a gas leak in one of the balloon tanks caused the resulting fires and explosions, consistent with information reported in the state media. Previous reports indicate that the balloon may have contacted the power line.
Two minutes later, the burned plane crashed into a sugar cane field west of Luxor. The second explosion was reported 15 seconds later. The ambulance arrived on the scene after 15 minutes. Bodies were scattered on the ground when rescue workers arrived at the scene. The last moments of the balloon were caught on an amateur video.
Victim
At the time of the ascent, the balloon carried 20 passengers and Momin Murad, an Egyptian pilot balloon. Nineteen passengers were tourists: nine from Hong Kong, four from Japan, three from Britain, two from France, and one from Hungary; The 20th passenger was an Egyptian tour guide. Of Hong Kong, five are women and four men. They are members of three families in a tour group organized by Kuoni Travel. The Japanese victims are two couples from Tokyo in their 60s. They took a ten-day tour of Egypt organized by JTB Corporation. Three Englishmen and Hungarian-born passengers, a Briton, are on tour hosted by Thomas Cook Group. The French victim is a 48-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter.
The accident killed 18 passengers on the site; pilot and two passengers survived the initial accident. Two surviving passengers, both British men, were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. One of them died after five hours of surgery. Dr Mohammad Abdullah, head of Luxor's hospital emergency room, said Britons who died in hospital may suffer a 50-meter (160-foot) fall. The surviving English is described as being in a critical but stable condition, while the pilot is said to be conscious and speechless, but with burns covering 70% of his body. Doctors at Luxor International Hospital said that many of those who died suffered severe internal injuries and severe burns.
Aftermath
After news of the tragedy broke out, Luxor Governor Ezzat Saad banned air balloon flights in his jurisdiction until further notice. Egyptian civil aviation minister Wael el-Maadawi was followed by suspending national balloon flights. In a statement, President Mohamed Morsi expressed "his deepest condolences and sympathy for the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident." National government spokesman Alaa Hadidi said a committee would be set up to investigate the accident.
The bodies of victims were transported to four hospitals in Cairo. Chinese consular officials in the Arab Republic of Egypt and officials of the Hong Kong Immigration Department are scheduled to travel with family members of Hong Kong victims to Cairo. Kuoni Travel, a Hong Kong travel agent arranging a tour attended by Hong Kong passengers, made plans for six tour members who did not take balloons to leave Egypt. The tour agent stated that, in addition to the US $ 7000 per person assigned by the contract, additional compensation would be granted.
Mohammed Osman, head of the Luxor Tourism Chamber, accused the civil aviation authorities of lowering the standards before the accident. "I do not want to blame the revolution for everything, but the weakness starts with the revolution," he said. "These guys do not do their job, they do not check balloons and they just issue licenses without checking." The national authorities quickly denied the allegations, saying that the balloon was recently examined. They also say the pilot must turn off the gas valve and try to extinguish the fire, instead of bailing, and thus may have contributed to the tragedy. An anonymous civil aviation ministry official admitted to the press that the standards had been weakened by the current regime. The pilot's license was renewed one month before the accident.
Local and foreign media analysts speculated that the accident would hurt the already weakened tourism industry in Egypt, which is down 22% from the 2010 level. Wael Ibrahim, who oversees tourism syndicates in Luxor, did not expect accidents to worsen the situation as tourism has dropped so much. "This (kind of) accident can happen anywhere in the world", he said. A local balloon operator, angered by the industry closure, said: "Why bulk punishment? Did you stop all flights when you had a plane crash?... You will cut your livelihood to nearly 3,000 humans living in this type of tourism." Angered by the industry-wide shutdown, tourism workers threatened to organize a protest on March 2. On the same day, Saad acknowledged that the pressure to continue the balloon flight was mounting and promised that the stop time would be less than a month. The hot-air balloon in Luxor is set to resume in April, according to a statement on the Egyptian Civil Aviation Commission website (CARC).
The results of the investigation
Preliminary results of government investigations rule out criminal acts as the cause of the accident. On March 2, the Luxor region balloon pilot held a press conference to defend Egypt's security protocol and their peer action.
Egypt's Civil Aviation Authority released its final report on an accident on January 7, 2014. The 219-page report blamed a leak in the fuel line connected to the balloon burner. The aging line has been in use since 2005 and generated a leak, which is turned on when the balloon enters the mainland. The fire deeply wounded the pilot, who jumped or fell from the basket. Some ground crews release the land line to attend the pilot, so the remaining crew can not keep the balloon near the ground. The lighted balloon goes up quickly and out of control, then explodes.
Balloon pilots and maintenance engineers were arrested for negligence.
See also
- List of balloon accidents
- 2018 Luxor hot air balloon accident
- Hot air balloon in Luxor
References
External links
- The Guardian : Egyptian hot air balloon accident footage - video
- The Guardian : Egyptian balloon collision: savior exploring Luxor site - video
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments