Explosion Targeting Tourist Bus Near Giza Pyramids

Cairo: An explosion targeting a tourist bus has injured at least 16 people near the Grand Egyptian Museum, next to the pyramids in Giza. South African tourists are among the injured. Most of those hurt suffered minor injuries, while three were treated in hospital, the BBC reported on Sunday citing officials. A device went off close to the museum fence as the bus was passing. It is not yet known who was behind the bombing.

A witness, Mohamed el-Mandouh, told a media outlet he had heard a “very loud explosion” while sitting in traffic near the site of the blast, which is close to the capital Cairo. The blast hit the bus which was carrying 28 passengers, Egyptian Tourism Minister Rania A. Al Mashat said. Images taken after police cordoned the bus show a vehicle with windows blown out or shattered, and glass littering the aisle inside. A private car was also damaged behind the bus. But it’s the second explosion in nearly six months near Egypt’s most important landmark, the Great Pyramids, and once again questions are raised about how adequate security measures are in such a strategic location. The blast took place a few hundred metres away from the Grand Egyptian Museum. (IANS)

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