Hot air ballooning at sunrise over the ancient temples of Karnak and Luxor is a magical experience. But for a good number of tourists this year the descent¹ has been less than perfect.

In this latest accident the balloon is said to have struck a mobile phone mast² on the west bank of the Nile near the village of Gourna.

Among 13 people injured, were eight French tourists, two Britons, a Canadian, a Dane and a South Korean.

Despite an earlier statement from the Governor of Luxor, that all had been released from hospital with minor³ scrapes and bruises⁴, it appears that five of them are in fact being transferred to Cairo for further treatment.

There are reports that one of the French tourists has a broken back and a British woman travelling with them is said to have a suspected broken leg.

This is the third such incident in as many months. A fortnight ago several tourists were injured in a similar crash. And in late February, three hot air balloons carrying sixty tourists crashed on the same day in separate locations, injuring seven passengers. Mostly broken bones.

The problem appears to be the number of balloon companies that are working in the area - all of them competing on price.

So far there have been no deaths but in the past the government has been forced to ground the balloons while it investigates safety.