London -
They had looked forward to it as the flight of a lifetime.
But as the treasures of ancient Egypt were revealed in all their glory hundreds of metres below, the holidaymakers on this hot air balloon ride were less than an hour from death.
Nineteen people, three of them Britons, were killed after the balloon burst into flames and hurtled more than 1 000 feet (about 305m) to the ground.
The doomed Sky Cruise balloon was coming into land after a 45-60 minute sunrise flight over Luxor when tragedy struck.
As it flew lower, workers on the ground tried to use ropes to guide the balloon safely in to a landing spot but it hit a power line.
The balloon and basket, with the passengers crowded inside, then lurched out of control straight upwards, reaching a terrifying 1 000 feet before bursting into flames.
As those on the ground watched in horror and many started to pray, the balloon then simply folded in on itself and plunged into a sugar cane field in the village of al-Dhabaa.
It is thought those who survived the tragedy, including the pilot and some passengers, had leapt more than 100 feet from the basket after it hit the power lines but before it started its deadly ascent.
“People were jumping out of the balloon from about the height of a seven-storey building,” said Cherry Tohamy, a holidaying Egyptian who was landing in another balloon at the time.
“Our pilot told us that the balloon had hit a high pressure electrical cable and a cylinder on board exploded,” she told the BBC.
On Tuesday night there were reports that the hose attached to the gas tanks may have been cut while the workers were trying to tug the rope of the balloon during landing.
The bodies of tourists from Britain, Belgium, France, Hungary, Japan and Hong Kong were scattered in the field along with gas canisters and wreckage from the balloon.
Four Britons on board were on holiday with tour operator Thomas Cook, which confirmed that three of them had died.
They were named locally on Tuesday night as hospital receptionist Yvonne Rennie, 48, from Perth, Scotland, and art expert Joe Bampton, 40, who died with his partner Suzanna Gyetvai, 34, who shared a home with him in London.
Rennie’s husband Michael, 49, survived the crash but suffered serious burns. On Tuesday night he was stable in a Cairo hospital after being flown 320 miles from Luxor.
The British ambassador to Cairo, James Watt, visited Mr Rennie and said he was “remarkably well” after his ordeal.
The Rennies were married five years ago. Mr Rennie works in the construction industry.
Neighbour Linda Kettles said: “They only get the weekends together and any break together is good for them. They were really looking forward to getting away. I’m totally devastated by the news.”
Bampton lived with Gyetvai, a Hungarian national, in Clapham, South London. They worked together at Lots Road Auctions in Chelsea.
Bampton was an expert valuer in rugs and carpets, having studied at the Slade School of Fine Art.
Colleagues confirmed the Foreign Office had told them the couple had been killed.
Nick Carter, senior auctioneer at the firm, said on Tuesday night: “They had spoken a lot about going on this trip to Egypt.
“Joe liked sunrises - that was the whole point of going on this balloon trip. They were two people very much in love and a lovely couple.
“Joe came to us in the mid 1990s- he had been with us for a long time and we knew him very well.
“I broke the news of his death to one of our clients today and he broke down in tears. It is very tragic. It’s a very hard thing to come to terms with, it’s like losing a brother.
“Suzanna worked in our valuations department as an administrator. She was a lovely girl, incredibly pretty and a very popular member of staff. She had been with us for three years and was part of the family.”
American photographer Christopher Michel was in another balloon taking shots of the Karnak and Luxor temples and the Valley of the Kings when the accident happened.
“It was the balloon behind mine,” he told the BBC.
“We flew over the ancient ruins. Just before landing in the cornfields, I heard an explosion and saw smoke.
“It was only when we landed we heard the full extent of what happened.”
In Aptil 2009, 16 people were hurt when a balloon crashed during a tour of Luxor. Retired policewoman Linda Lea, 67, from Stoke-on-Trent, still suffers from the multiple injuries she sustained in that crash.
“I cannot believe this has happened again,” she said on Tuesday night.
“They promised to tighten safety procedures after my crash. These balloons are just too unstable.
“There is not enough training of staff. There were about 22 or 23 in my balloon when it crashed and maybe there were too many then and too many in today’s accident.”
Following the 2009 crash, early morning “sunrise” hot air balloon flights over the Valley of the Kings on the West Bank of the Nile were suspended for six months while safety measures were tightened.
On Tuesday Thomas Cook suspended sales of balloon rides in Egypt. Chief executive Peter Fankhauser said: “We have a very experienced team in resort - and we’re providing our full support to the family and friends of the deceased at this difficult time.”
Tuesday’s crash ranks as the deadliest in the history of recreational ballooning.
In 1989, 13 people were killed when their hot air balloon collided with another over the Australian outback near the town of Alice Springs.
On Tuesday night a Foreign office spokesman said: “We can confirm the tragic deaths of two British nationals and one British resident following a hot air balloon crash in Luxor, Egypt.
“The next of kin have been informed and our thoughts are with them and their families at this difficult time.
“We can also confirm that one other British national was involved and is in a stable condition.”
BBC Radio 2 has been criticised after posting a “crass and insensitive” message on Twitter following Tuesday’s accident.
The tweet from the Jeremy Vine show read: “19 tourists are believed to have died in a hot air balloon crash in Egypt. Have you tried something you wouldn’t normally on holiday?” ScottishFalsettoSock tweeted back: “No, not crass or insensitive at all.” - Daily Mail