A hot-air balloon flies over the village of al-Qurna, situated over a necropolis of more than 500 pharaonic tombs at the feet of the Theban Mountains, in the city of Luxor, south of Cairo, Egypt December 13, 2016. (AFP/Xinhua)

ABU DHABI, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Six tourists and a pilot were injured when their hot air balloon crashed during a tour over the desert of the sheikhdom of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday, Sharjah police revealed on Monday.

The nationalities of the six injured were not disclosed. Sharjah police said the tourists were from European and Asian countries, the UAE daily The National reported.

Wind speed or mechanical failure may be the cause of the incident, albeit the exact cause remains under investigation, the report quoted local police as saying.

Hot air balloon tours are popular among tourists and residents in the Gulf Arab country.