Balloon crashes near Luxor killing 19 tourists - Polidicks

[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21584413[/url] [QUOTE] British, French and Japanese nationals are reported to be among 19 tourists killed in a hot air balloon crash near the southern Egyptian city of Luxor.The balloon was flying at 1,000 ft (300m) when it caught fire and exploded, plunging onto fields west of Luxor, officials said.Two people, including the balloon's pilot, reportedly survived the crash. [/QUOTE] I'm never going near a hot air balloon, the whole thing sounds terrifying.

Imagine watching the balloon set on fire and you feel the plummeting as the carriage just falls through the sky :(

Pretty damn horrible way to go.

Those 2 people... I wonder how they survived a 1,000 foot drop. Must have been caught up in the debris and slowed by air resistance or something.

Did anyone else read it as terrorists? [editline]27th February 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Glitchman;39721409]Those 2 people... I wonder how they survived a 1,000 foot drop. Must have been caught up in the debris and slowed by air resistance or something.[/QUOTE] It didn't fall a thousands feet in freefall. What's more likely is it lost buoyancy as it burned but still hit the ground damn hard

[QUOTE]Two people, including the balloon's pilot, reportedly survived the crash. [/QUOTE] That's a terrible thing to live through, especially if he blames himself.

19? Jesus christ, how packed was that basket?

I've never liked hot air balloons, it's floating wicker propelled by fire

[QUOTE=HazzaHardie;39722793]I've never liked hot air balloons, it's floating wicker propelled by fire[/QUOTE] almost every form of conveyance or energy production utilizes explosions or fire or some sort of usually dangerous element to its advantage. see: steam engines, combustion engines, electricity, nuclear power plants, coal plants, etc etc

am i the only one that thought this happened in las vegas (i didnt know that luxor was a real city woops)

More safety regulations are needed. These balloons should be required to have a safety net hanging underneath the basket, that way if the balloon catches fire the people can jump down into the net.

[QUOTE=Roger Waters;39722884]almost every form of conveyance or energy production utilizes explosions or fire or some sort of usually dangerous element to its advantage. see: steam engines, combustion engines, electricity, nuclear power plants, coal plants, etc etc[/QUOTE] There's a colossal difference between an aircraft and a hot air balloon dude.

Now air balloons need background checks as weapons of war.

Couldn't they skydive and parachute off in case of emergency? well.. that would rely on them all being trained but still, there has to be SOME better chance of survival.

[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;39724066]More safety regulations are needed. These balloons should be required to have a safety net hanging underneath the basket, that way if the balloon catches fire the people can jump down into the net.[/QUOTE] So you can die in a falling net instead of a falling basket?

The other luxor... nvm

[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;39724066]More safety regulations are needed. These balloons should be required to have a safety net hanging underneath the basket, that way if the balloon catches fire the people can jump down into the net.[/QUOTE] What, so they get our of the basket and into a net dangling below the basket. What good does that do you when your one thousand feet in the air. Hot air balloons also go up and go where the wind takes them. You cannot blanket all the possible areas a balloon goes to with safety nets. Unless you make it so the balloon comes straight up, and straight down. Which I think would suck. Nets would not work that much either, if you fall one thousand feet into a net, you are going to be diced into cubes. If that did not happen another person could land on you killing you both.

Apparently, some witnesses say they saw a man wearing a white T-Shirt with a cartoon bomb in the center on it around the time the balloon starting falling. One of them thought they saw a sniper rifle in his hands. This witness also thought he heard the man mumble "goddamn Harpies" as he left.

I read a news report that it was caught on tape. Anyone know the video is up?

liveleak link with 3 videos of and about the crash: [url]http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d42_1361904983[/url]

Honestly, For a second I was imagining one of those Balloons at kid's parties.

[QUOTE=Blockhead;39729307]Honestly, For a second I was imagining one of those Balloons at kid's parties.[/QUOTE] Popped balloon kills 19

For a second there, I thought the title meant the luxor hotel in Las Vegas.

My local news guy didn't even care- "A balloon has crashed near Luxor killing 19. None were Australian, moving on to other news"

[quote][url=http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Double_jump]The pilot survived by jumping from the basket when it was about 10 meters from the ground.[/url][/quote]