英闻天下——364 Diplomats, Officials Mourn Balloon Crash Victims

 　　A memorial service was held in the Egyptian city of Luxor on Friday for victims of the balloon crash.

 

　　Nineteen foreign tourists died in the deadliest ballooning accident on record.

 

　　The service was attended by the governor of Luxor and diplomats¹ from the embassies of Britain, China, Hungary and Japan.

 

　　Eino Chai, from the Japanese embassy issued a heartfelt tribute at the memorial.

 

　　"I'd like to extend my sincere condolences to the victims' families. I think it was a very frightening and sad experience that shouldn't have happened."

 

　　British tourist Andy Welsh said that he had spoken to two of the victims, just days before the fatal crash.

 

　　"I knew four people on that balloon. Two English and two French. The two French stayed at the Sofitel (hotel) and I had only talked to them a couple of days previous (to the accident). It's so sad."

 

　　The hot air balloon was carrying 20 tourists from Hong Kong, Japan, Britain, Belgium, Hungary and France on a sunrise flight over Luxor's landmark² sites and desert landscape.

 

　　The disaster occurred when the balloon was trying to land on Tuesday.

 

　　Initial investigations³ suggested the accident happened because of an operation error.

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

3 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。