Nineteen Asian and European tourists died when a hot air balloon crashed early on Tuesday near the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor following a midair gas explosion, officials said.

Tourism official Ahmed Aboud said the balloon was at about 300 meters above Luxor, famous for its pharaonic temples and tombs of the Valley of the Kings, including Tutankhamen's, when the blast happened.

The pilot survived by jumping from the basket when it was 10 to 15 meters from the ground, said Aboud, head of an association representing Luxor balloon operators.

The pilot was being treated for burns, Aboud said by telephone. One of the tourists aboard also survived the accident, which Aboud said was caused by an explosion in the hose between the balloon's burner and its gas canister.

Mohammed Mustafa, a doctor at the hospital where the wounded were being treated, said the dead included tourists from Britain, Japan and Hong Kong. Three more were hurt, he added.

Luxor province's governor told Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr that some of the bodies had yet to be identified.

The health ministry said three people survived but were injured in the crash, including two Britons and one Egyptian.

The Britons were in "critical condition," including one undergoing surgery, state television reported, but security officials said all three Britons had died.

The British Foreign Office could not immediately confirm if any Britons had died.

"We are aware of the reports. We are making inquiries," a Foreign Office spokesman said.

In Luxor, security services cordoned off the scene of the crash in the dense sugar cane fields, as police and residents inspected the charred remains of the balloon.

The Japanese embassy in Cairo said it was trying to confirm the reports that Japanese nationals died in the accident.

The French embassy was also trying to ascertain whether French nationals had died in the crash, amid conflicting reports.

In Paris, a diplomatic official said French tourists were among those involved in the accident, but would give no details on how many, or whether French citizens were among those killed.

French media reports said two French tourists were among the dead but the official wouldn't confirm that.

It was one of the worst accidents involving tourists in Egypt and likely to push the key tourism industry deeper into recession.

Bodies of the dead tourists were scattered across the field around the remnants of the balloon. An Associated Press reporter at the crash site counted eight bodies as they were put into body bags and taken away. The security official said 18 bodies have been recovered.

An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said foul play has been ruled out. He also said initial reports of 20 dead were revised to 19 as confusion is common in the aftermath of such accidents.

Hot air ballooning, usually at sunrise over the famed Karnak and Luxor temples as well as the Valley of the Kings, is a popular pastime for tourists visiting the area.

The site of the accident has seen past crashes. In 2009, 16 tourists when their balloon struck a cellphone tower. A year earlier, seven tourists were injured in a similar crash.

Reuters - AP - AFP

(China Daily 02/27/2013 page11)