9 tourists from China's Hong Kong killed in Luxor balloon crash

 　　CAIRO, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Nine tourists from China's Hong Kong were killed in a balloon crash 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," Abul Naga Abdel-Rady, head of Luxor's Ambulance Authority told Xinhua.

　　State-run MENA news agency reported earlier that the killed came from China's Hong Kong, Japan, Britain and France, without mentioning their number.

　　"The explosion happened in the early morning. The pressure was too high in the balloon and then fire of the engine touched the balloon and suddenly the balloon was on fire," a local tourist guide named Mohamed told Xinhua.

　　"The balloon belongs to the Sky Cruise Company. The dead and injured have been transferred to the Luxor International Hospital, " he added.

　　Luxor governor Ezzat Saad decided¹ to suspend the business of balloons companies and ordered the companies to cancel all the arranged balloon trips. Prosecution² in the governorate started investigations³ into the accident.

　　The official al-Ahram online quoted a source in the Sky Cruise company as saying the hose attached to the gas tanks was cut while some workers were trying to tug⁴ the rope of the balloon during landing, which led to the explosion.

　　"After the hose had been cut, the tanks exploded, and the balloon rose up in the air for 400 meters and got ablaze⁵ with 19 tourists inside," the source added.

　　In 2009, a balloon impinged with a tower of mobile phone network on a building roof and fell down in the west bank of Nile River in Luxor, leaving 19 people injured.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

3 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

4 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。

5 ablaze   

adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的

参考例句：

• The main street was ablaze with lights in the evening.晚上，那条主要街道灯火辉煌。
• Forests are sometimes set ablaze by lightning.森林有时因雷击而起火。