(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/130226-balloon-4a.photoblog600.jpg)Hagag Salama / APA victim of a balloon accident is seen in a body bag lying on a dirt road near the scene of a crash outside al-Dhabaa village near the city of Luxor, Egypt, Tuesday. By Ayman Mohyeldin and Charlene Gubash, NBC NewsA hot air balloon carrying foreign tourists crashed near the ancient city of Luxor, killing 19 people, a government official confirmed Tuesday.
The balloon caught on fire mid-air before crashing to the ground, General Mamdough Khaled, director of security for Luxor Governate said in a statement, according to initial reports.
Luxor International Hospital received 19 badly burned bodies, Khaled added.
Follow @NBCNewsWorld (https://twitter.com/NBCNewsWorld) Ahmed Aboud, who runs another balloon company and acts as a spokesman for balloon operators in the area, told NBC News that gas tanks ignited the balloon at about 1,000 feet.
Two survive
Two people survived, a tourist and the pilot, Aboud said. Both were in critical condition, the statement from Khaled said.
A health official in Luxor told NBC News that the victims include nine from Hong Kong, four from Japan, two from the U.K., two from France and two others who have not been identified.
Konny Matthews, assistant manager of Luxor's Al Moudira hotel, told Reuters by phone that she heard a boom around 7 a.m. (12 a.m. ET).(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/130226-luxor-515a.380;380;7;70;0.jpg)Courtesy Christopher MichelHot air balloons take off near the ancient city of Luxor on Tuesday, before the tragedy occurred. February 26, 2013."It was a huge bang. It was a frightening bang, even though it was several kilometers away from the hotel," she added. "Some of my employees said that their homes were shaking."
A team of investigators was sent to Luxor, authorities said.
The site of the accident has seen past crashes. In 2009, 16 tourists were injured when their balloon struck a cellphone transmission tower. A year earlier, seven tourists were injured in a similar crash.
Egypt's tourism industry has been decimated since the 18-day uprising in 2011 against autocrat leader Hosni Mubarak and the political turmoil that followed and continues to this day.
Luxor's hotels are currently about 25 percent full in what is supposed to be the peak of the winter season.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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