A hot air balloon carrying tourists over Egypt’s ancient city of Luxor caught fire Tuesday, and some passengers trying to escape the flames leaped to their deaths before the craft crashed in a sugar cane field. At least 19 tourists were killed in one of the world’s deadliest ballooning accidents.
The accident was a new blow to Egypt’s tourism industry, which has been gutted by the country’s turmoil the past two years. The southern city of Luxor, site of some of the most dramatic pharaonic temples, has been particularly hard hit, with empty hotels worsening the area’s poverty.
View full article »



















