Egypt suspends hot air balloon flights over Luxor for three days

Egypt has halted hot air balloon rides over the tourist city of Luxor for three days due to poor weather conditions, days after tens of tourists were wounded in a balloon crash landing. The Civil Aviation Ministry said Wednesday that the temporary ban is due to "bad weather" and "strong winds" in the city and will be in place until weather improves. Authorities has adopted a range of safety measures ahead of an 8-day international festival due to be hosted in December, Ahmed Abboud, the head of hot air balloon operators in Luxor, told Egypt's MENA state news agency. Abboud says hot air balloons will be monitored by cameras, connected to ground stations by transponders and equipped with a GPS tracking system. Ballons will be banned from flying above 2,000 meters, he added. On Tuesday, 22 Chinese tourists suffered minor injuries in a crash landing in Luxor caused by strong winds.