February 26: On This Day in World History … briefly
It was the deadliest ballooning accident in history and the deadliest aerostat disaster since the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, which killed 36 people.
2013: Hot air balloon kills 19 as it crashes near Luxor, Egypt
An Ultramagic N-425 balloon operated by Sky Cruise departed on a sight-seeing flight carrying twenty passengers and a pilot. According to nearby balloon pilot Mohamed Youssef a fire started in the Sky Cruise balloon a few meters off the ground as it was attempting to land – as a result of a leaking fuel line. As the fire engulfed the basket, the pilot and one passenger leapt to safety as the craft rose rapidly spurred on by a wind gust and as the balloon rose, approximately seven passengers jumped to their deaths to escape the fire.
At an altitude of approximately 300m (980ft), there was an explosion which could be heard several kilometers away. The balloon plunged to the ground, killing everyone remaining on board. One eyewitness remarked that he heard ‘a huge frightening bang’, even though it was several kilometers away from his location.
Youssef said it appeared that a gas leak in one of the balloon’s tanks caused the fire and resulting explosion, consistent with information reported in state-run media. Earlier reports indicated that the balloon may have hit a power line. Two minutes later, the burning craft crashed into a sugar cane field west of Luxor. A second explosion was reported 15 seconds later. Ambulances arrived on the scene after 15 minutes. Bodies were scattered across the field when rescue workers arrived on the scene. The balloon’s final moments were caught on amateur video.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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