Give tourists greater protection, says relative of Egypt crash victims
But official report on balloon crash will help victims’ families pursue compensation
Nick Wong lost his mother Ho Oi-ying and three other family members in the hot-air balloon crash that killed nine Hongkongers in Luxor, Egypt, three months ago.
Learning that an official report had pinpointed human error as the cause of the crash, he called on local tour agencies to step up protection for tour members joining optional activities overseas.
"Bad fortune befell my family. But if the loopholes are not plugged, tragedies will happen again," he said yesterday.
An inquiry in Egypt found that an unqualified person had fitted a fuel pipe improperly, causing a gas leak. The report said the pilot and authorities failed to do their jobs by not detecting the fault.
Hong Kong authorities can do little to improve balloon safety in Egypt, Wong said, but tour agencies could step up checks to ensure their overseas partners had good track records.
They should check tourists' insurance policies to make sure they covered the members' various activities, he added.
"I have lost four family members. What can compensation do? I just don't want them to die in vain," said Wong.