9 from HK dead in Egypt's balloon crash

Nine tourists from China's Hong Kong were killed in the balloon crash on Tuesday morning in Egypt's Luxor governorate, a local health official told Xinhua.

"Eighteen tourists, including nine from Hong Kong, four Japanese, two Britons, two Frenchmen and an Egyptian, have been killed in the accident," said Abul Naga Abdel-Rady, head of Luxor's Ambulance Authority.

In Hong Kong, the general manager of a tour operator said nine Hong Kong people were feared dead. "We believe that there is a high possibility that nine of our customers have died," Raymond Ng of travel agency Kuoni, which organized the Hong Kongers' tour, told a news conference.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung expressed his condolences to the families of the Hong Kong tourists killed in the accident on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media, Leung said he has instructed government departments to liaise with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong and the Chinese embassy in Egypt over the incident.

He said the Chinese embassy in Egypt has set up a four-member team headed by the ambassador, and activated the emergency response mechanism to handle the situation.

The five women and four men were between the ages of 33 and 62, Ng said.

AFP - Xinhua