A hot air balloon has crashed near the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor, killing at least 18 foreign tourists and critically injuring two Britons. Officials said the balloon, which was carrying 21 people and flying at 1,000ft, caught fire and exploded during a trip at sunrise.
The casualties are believed to include British, French and Japanese nationals as well as nine tourists from Hong Kong.
The balloon was believed to have hit a mobile phone transmission tower near the banks of the Nile.
Egypt's tourism industry has suffered a sharp downturn in visitor numbers since the 2011 uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, with two years of political instability scaring off foreign tourists.
