Egypt balloon disaster: bereaved families to meet Egypt’s consul-general in Hong Kong
‘We want to see what new information perhaps he can give us,’ says one relative
Egypt’s consul-general in Hong Kong has requested a meeting with family members of the nine Hongkongers who died in a hot air balloon crash three years ago, as the inquest into the death continues in court.
Three relatives of the victims will meet with Alaaeldin Kashef on March 1, three days after the third anniversary of the accident in Egypt’s ancient city of Luxor, said family member Siu Chi-keung. It would be the first time Kashef – who took the post in 2014 – has met them.
Siu lost his brother Siu Chi-man and sister-in-law Eleni Kwan Pui-man in the crash.
“We want to see what new information perhaps he can give us,” said Siu, who said family members are still struggling to find out what actually happened, even three years after the tragedy. “The worst part ... is that we had to try really hard and inquire of many different people just to find bits and pieces of information.”
Nine Hongkongers were among the 19 killed in the crash in Luxor, Egypt, when a hot-air balloon burst into flames on a sightseeing tour on February 26, 2013. Only the Egyptian pilot and a Briton survived.
The lack of complete and clear information was one of the reasons for the inquest, said Siu.