Nineteen foreign tourists were killed Tuesday when a hot-air balloon exploded and crashed in a sugar-cane field near the ancient city of Luxor. Two survived by leaping from the balloon. According to Egyptian officials, the balloon caught fire, causing the explosion and the balloon to plunge at least 1,000 feet from the sky. A Hong Kong official said nine of the passengers were residents of their city, but did not clarify if all nine were killed. French officials confirmed that French nationals were on board. An Egyptian official said the casualties also included British and Japanese tourists.
