NANNING: Four Dutch tourists -- three men and one woman -- died early Wednesday when a hot-air balloon caught fire and crashed in Guilin, a popular tourist destination in south China.

Five passengers, all from the Netherlands, and two Chinese pilots were aboard when the accident took place in Maling Township of Lipu County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The pilots and a Dutch tourist were injured and have been taken to hospital, an official of the Lipu county government told Xinhua.

The pilots lost control of the balloon after it took off from Yangshuo County. It flew to the neighboring Lipu County and caught fire 150 meters above Maling, said an official with the government of Guilin, which administers Yangshuo and Lipu.

The Lipu county government had sent 400 people to search for the victims after receiving a report at 8:30 a.m. that the balloon had crashed.

The identities of the dead are not yet available.