Egypt blaze tragedy balloon 'was in appalling condition'
Egyptian official says aircraft 'should never have left the ground' as relatives of Hong Kong victims arrive in Cairo
The hot-air balloon that erupted in a fireball over Egypt killing 19 people - nine of them from Hong Kong - was in "appalling condition" and should never have been allowed to leave the ground, a top Luxor official said last night.
General Mamdough Khaled, director of security for the ancient Egyptian capital, told Xinhua: "The initial findings of the investigation show there is no criminal suspicion. But the balloon was in an appalling condition before take-off."
Operator Sky Cruise did not return calls for a response. But sources close to the company told Xinhua that the pilot, Moman Mourad, had reported a problem with the gas cylinder to the ground controller and tried to land before the accident.
Official sources in Egypt's aviation sector told Xinhua that initial investigations pointed to human error and said the pilot should have locked the gas valve before a gas hose exploded. It said he jumped from the balloon before fighting the fire.
Mourad is now in the intensive care unit of a Cairo hospital with severe burns.
The initial findings of the investigation show there is no criminal suspicion. But the balloon was in an appalling condition before take-off
The consular affairs director of the Chinese embassy in Cairo, Zhang Baoqi, called on Egyptian authorities to release full details of the investigation as soon as possible. The Egyptian government said an investigation report would be completed within "two to three weeks".