A hot air balloon exploded in Egypt, killing 18 and injuring three others. This marked the deadliest balloon crash in history.

EgyNews reported that a gas explosion had caused the crash in the province of Luxor. The balloon fell 1,000 ft, plummiting to the ground, causing 18 to lose their lives and three others to be injured.

According to witnesses on the scene, the balloon caught fire about 1,000 ft in the air before crashing.

Officials said the passengers on the hot air balloon included 19 foreign tourists: nine from Hong Kong, four from Japan, three from Britain, two from France and one from Hungary.

The pilot, along with two Britons survived the crash, but all three are currently hospitalized.

This marked the deadliest crash in over 20 years. In 1989, two hot air balloons collided, leading to the death of 13 in Australia.

It's a risk every time somebody steps inside the basket, when the balloon fills with air and takes flight. There's not much protection if any for a possible crash.

A main component of the experience of being in a hot air balloon is being outside, getting a first-hand view of the world.

If something goes wrong and the balloon is going down, then as are you with it. There's almost nothing that can stop the impact, besides hoping for the best outcome possible.

Since this incident marked the deadliest balloon crash in history, Gov. Saad isn't taking any chances on it happening again.

Immediately following the wreckage, Gov. Izzat Saad of Luxor Province banned all hot air balloon flights until further notice.

Egyptian government spokesman Alaa Hadidi announced that the Cabinet will form a committee from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to investigate the cause of Tuesday's accident, EgyNews said.

Hot air balloons have been a tourist attraction around the world for centuries. The first official flight of a hot air balloon was in 1783.

The hot air balloon is a popular attraction in Luxor because of the views of the Nile River and the ancient temples of Karnak and Hatshepsut.

"You can see Valley of the Kings in the background bordered by farmland," Pauline Liang of Vancouver, Canada, told CNN's iReport last year. "Below were banana farms, and behind us was the city of Luxor. There was a great contrast between desert landscape, lush farmland and urban development."