Four killed after bomb blast hits tourist bus near Giza pyramids in Cairo

Three tourists and a guide have been killed after a bus was hit by a bomb blast near the Giza pyramids in Egypt.

At least another 10 people were injured by the improvised device, which was hidden near a wall on Marioutiya street in Cairo, the interior ministry said.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the bus had “deviated” from a route secured by security services.

The tourists that died, and at least nine of the injured, were from Vietnam.

In all, 14 Vietnamese tourists had been on the bus, the ministry added.

The bus was hit by a roadside bomb

Image:
The bus was hit by a roadside bomb

Lan Le, 41, who was on the bus but unhurt, said they were going to see a sound and light show at the pyramids.

“It was terrible – people screaming,” she said. “I don’t remember anything after.”

The bus’s windscreen was covered in cracks and its side windows were blown out by the blast.

Dozens of police, military personnel and firefighters attended the scene on a narrow side street close to a ring road.

While no group claimed immediate responsibility, Islamist groups are active in Egypt and have targeted tourists in the past.

The explosion was the first deadly attack against foreign tourists in Egypt for more than a year.

The injured were taken to the nearby Al Haram hospital, where Mr Madbouly told local media the tour guide had died from his injuries.

“The bus deviated from the route secured by the security forces,” he told Extra News TV.

“We have been in contact with the embassy of Vietnam to contain the impact of the incident, and what is important now is to take care of the injured,” he said.

The police and army launched a major campaign against militant groups in February, concentrating on the Sinai Peninsula as well as southern areas and the border with Libya.

Egypt’s government says it is prioritising fighting Islamist militants, as it works to restore stability after years of turmoil following the Arab Spring protests of 2011.

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