Was One Of Two Survivors From The Accident Which Fatally Injured 19 Tourists

The pilot of a balloon which caught fire and went down while on a sightseeing flight over Luxor, Egypt has been arrested and detained for questioning. Momin Murad was one of only two survivors of the accident, which fatally injured 19 tourists.

The Scottish newspaper The Express reports that Murad was recently released from an Egyptian hospital, and immediately taken into custody for 15 days for interrogation. The arrest coincides with the release of documents showing that there have been numerous possible violations of balloon safety rules during the tourist flights, including one in which a tourist claims to have been threatened "at gunpoint" by a pilot as a "joke." There are also reports of flights in adverse weather, flights at very low altitudes, and over-capacity flights.

Several residents of the U.K. were among those on board the balloon which caught fire and went down.

One theory of the cause of the accident is that a loose rope dislodged a gas pipe which led to the fire.

Murad has already made one court appearance. He was burned over 70 percent of his body in the fire. The judge ordered him to be remanded to custody for 15 days while the investigation continues.

FMI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Civil_Aviation_(Egypt)