pyramids tourist attack

• Travel Updates

Bomb obliterates tourist bus in Egypt near the Giza pyramid complex

Holiday-makers and an Egyptian tour guide were killed when a roadside bomb blast hit their bus close to the Giza pyramids outside Cairo.

Tragic twist in woman’s horror death

Fury as tourist damages historic building

Horror as croc chases screaming swimmer

Three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide have been killed and 11 others injured when a bomb blast hit their bus less than four km from Egypt’s world famous Giza pyramids, authorities said.

The blast is the first deadly attack against foreign tourists in Egypt for more than a year and comes as the tourism sector, a vital source of foreign currency revenue, was recovering from a sharp drop in visitor numbers since the country’s 2011 uprising.

No immediate claim of responsibility was reported. Islamist extremists including some linked to Islamic State are active in Egypt and have targeted foreign visitors in the past.

Nine of the injured were Vietnamese tourists, and one was the Egyptian driver, according to official statements.

The white tourist bus could be seen with its windows shattered and surrounded by soot-covered debris.

The interior ministry said the bus was hit by an explosion from an improvised device hidden near a wall on Marioutiya street early in the evening.

About two hours later the vehicle could be seen behind a police cordon with one of its sides badly damaged and the windows blown out, a Reuters reporter said.

Dozens of police, military and firefighters were at the site, on a narrow sidestreet close to the ring road, where traffic was moving normally.

Shortly afterwards, workers brought a pick-up truck to tow the bus away.

An investigator at the scene said the device had likely been planted near the wall.

The injured were taken to the nearby Al Haram hospital, where Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told local TV that the guide had died from his injuries.

“The bus deviated from the route secured by the security forces,” Madbouly 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 interior ministry confirmed the death of two of the tourists, and the state prosecutors office later said a third had died. In total, 14 Vietnamese tourists had been traveling on the bus, it said.

Egypt’s army and police launched a major campaign against militant groups in February, targeting the Sinai Peninsula as well as southern areas and the border with Libya.

The government says fighting Islamist militants is a priority as it works to restore stability after the years of turmoil that followed the “Arab Spring” protests of 2011.

Those events and the bombing of a Russian airliner shortly after it took off from Sharm el Sheikh in 2015 caused tourist numbers to plunge.

Egypt’s tourism industry has been struggling to recover from terror attacks and domestic instability that has hit the country in recent years.

In July 2017, two German tourists were stabbed to death by a suspected jihadist assailant at the Egyptian Red Sea beach resort of Hurgada.

In October 2015, a bomb claimed by a local affiliate of the Islamic State group killed 224 people on board a passenger jet carrying Russian tourists over the Sinai Peninsula.

The incident dealt a severe blow to Egypt’s tourism industry still reeling from the turmoil set off by the 2011 uprising that forced veteran leader Hosni Mubarak from power.

Egypt has for years been battling an Islamist insurgency in North Sinai, which surged following the 2013 military ouster of president Mohamed Morsi.

Security forces have since February been conducting a major operation focused on the Sinai Peninsula, aimed at wiping out a local IS branch.

More than 450 suspected jihadists and around 30 Egyptian soldiers have been killed since the offensive began, the army said in October.

The Pyramids of Giza are the only surviving structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world and a major tourist draw attracting visitors from across the globe.

Add your comment to this story

To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register

Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout

The devastating circumstances around the death of a “beautiful soul” have been revealed, following a shocking incident on a popular river.

Fans of this popular parkour group have turned on them after they caused damage to a world famous historic site in Italy.

This is the heart-stopping moment a screaming swimmer was left battling in the water against an enormous crocodile.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Egypt: bomb attack on tourist bus near Giza pyramids kills at least four people

Egyptian officials say roadside bomb exploded near bus carrying Vietnamese tourists

At least four people have been killed and another 10 injured after a roadside bomb exploded near a bus carrying Vietnamese tourists close to the pyramids in Giza.

Three of the dead were Vietnamese and one was an Egyptian tour guide.

An Egyptian security source told the Guardian the bus had 16 people onboard and an IED exploded as it approached. Reuters reported that the device was hidden near a wall on Marioutiya Street on the Cairo outskirts.

Police and ambulances attended the scene, and the injured were transferred to nearby hospitals.

The tourists were heading to a show at the pyramids, which they had visited earlier in the day, said Lan Le, 41, who was onboard the bus but unhurt.

“We were going to the sound and light show and then suddenly we heard a bomb. It was terrible, people screaming,” she told Reuters, speaking at Al-Haram hospital. “I don’t remember anything after.”

Ahmed Samy, a tuk-tuk driver, said he saw the bus after the blast and locals and drivers were helping the injured to get out. “One of the passengers was dead and was covered in blood,” he said.

The Egyptian prime minister, Mostafa Madbouly, visited the injured at Al-Haram hospital. He told reporters that the bus had not followed the path it was supposed to take, where it would have been secured by the police.

Reuters said that the Egyptian driver of the bus later told local media he had not deviated from the route.

Egyptian prosecutors said they had launched an urgent investigation “to arrest the perpetrators”.

Tourism has been one of the main drivers of Egypt’s struggling economy, contributing around 375bn Egyptian pounds (£16bn), or 11% of GDP, in 2017, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

The country has intensified efforts to woo tourists after a sharp decline in numbers following the political turmoil linked to the 2011 revolution . Tourism to Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, which had been spared the worst of the political upheaval, also fell dramatically following an explosion onboard a Russian plane over the Sinai peninsula on 31 October from Sharm el-Sheikh international airport . The explosion claimed the lives of all 217 passengers and seven crew members.

Targeted campaigns promoting tourism have been going hand in hand with huge state-sponsored international conferences designed to promote youth empowerment, technology and foreign investment.

No militant group has yet claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack. The most active group has been Islamic State, which has been operating mainly in North Sinai. An Isis-linked group claimed responsibility for the explosion on the Russian plane.

Isis also claimed responsibility for a January 2016 attack in Hurghada where two militants entered a hotel and stabbed three tourists. The Swede and two Austrians survived.

In February 2014, the militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which later pledged allegiance to Isis, claimed a bomb attack that ripped through a tourist bus on the Egyptian side of the Taba border crossing with Israel, killing four and injuring about 30 passengers.

Before the Russian plane explosion, the deadliest attack to target tourists took place in Luxor in 1997 when more than 60 people, the vast majority foreign visitors, were murdered by militants armed with guns and knives.

• Middle East and north Africa

Most viewed

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Attack on Tourist Bus Near Egyptian Pyramids Wounds at Least 14

By Declan Walsh

• May 19, 2019

CAIRO — An explosion apparently targeting a bus filled with tourists near the pyramids of Giza in Egypt wounded at least 14 people on Sunday, according to security officials and the state-run news media.

The attack occurred close to a giant national museum that is under construction near the pyramids and that is scheduled to open next year. It was the second attack on tourists in Giza in six months, and it suggested that armed militants opposed to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi were seeking to undermine his authority by hitting tourists at a time when he is planning a gala opening for the long-awaited institution.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sunday’s attack. Previous violence against tourists has been claimed by the Islamic State’s Egyptian affiliate and by other armed Islamist factions opposed to Mr. el-Sisi.

Four people, including three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide, died in a bomb attack on a tourist bus in Cairo in December.

There were no initial reports of deaths from Sunday’s blast. Photographs posted to social media showed some people walking away from a bus whose side windows had been blown out. A construction site could be seen in the background.

Ahram Online, a state-run news outlet, said that the bus had been carrying 25 tourists from South Africa and that most of the 14 wounded were from that country. Later, South Africa’s foreign ministry said that three of its citizens were receiving medical treatment in Egypt and the rest would return home.

The new Grand Egyptian Museum is a prestige project for Mr. el-Sisi, who cemented his hold on power last month with a referendum that allows him to stay in his position until 2030 .

Construction has been underway at the $1 billion museum since 2002. Officials say it is scheduled to open in 2020, and Mr. el-Sisi has already said that he intends to invite dignitaries from across the globe for the opening ceremony.

In a statement, a senior museum official said Sunday’s blast did not damage their museum or any of its artifacts.

The December attack targeting a tourist bus took place on another road about three miles from the pyramids. Soon after, the Egyptian authorities said that they had killed 40 people in reprisal for the assault in what they described as a series of raids across the country.

Human rights groups later cast doubt on the official account of that operation, saying that some of those killed were already in the custody of the security forces and may have been victims of extrajudicial executions.

Follow Declan Walsh on Twitter: @declanwalsh .

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Bomb hits tourist bus near Egypt’s Giza Pyramids, wounds 17

CORRECTS DATE PHOTO TAKEN - A bus and a car are parked after being damaged by a bomb, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, May 19, 2019. Egyptian officials say a roadside bomb has hit a tourist bus near the Giza Pyramids. They said Sunday’s blast wounded at least 17 people including tourists. (AP Photo/Mohammed Salah)

CORRECTS DATE PHOTO TAKEN - Police inspect a car and a bus that were damaged by a bomb, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, May 19, 2019. Egyptian officials say a roadside bomb has hit a tourist bus near the Giza Pyramids. They said Sunday’s blast wounded at least 17 people including tourists. (AP Photo/Mohammed Salah)

• Copy Link copied

CAIRO (AP) — A roadside bomb hit a tourist bus on Sunday near the Giza Pyramids, wounding at least 17 people including tourists, Egyptian officials said.

The officials said the bus was travelling on a road close to the under-construction Grand Egyptian Museum, which is located adjacent to the Giza Pyramids but is not yet open to tourists.

The bus was carrying at least 25 people mostly from South Africa, officials added.

The attack comes as Egypt’s vital tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after years in the doldrums because of the political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.

The officials said security forces cordoned off the site of the explosion and the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital.

The explosion damaged a windshield of another car, they said. Footage circulated online shows shattered windows of the bus.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

Atif Moftah, general supervisor of the Grand Egyptian Museum, said the explosion did not cause any damage to the museum, in a statement issued by the antiquities ministry.

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. It is the second to target foreign tourists near the famed pyramids in less than six months. In December, a bus carrying 15 Vietnamese tourists was hit by a roadside bomb, killing at least three of them.

Egypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilled over to the mainland, hitting minority Christians or tourists. The insurgency gained strength after the 2013 military overthrow of the country’s first freely elected president, an Islamist whose brief rule sparked mass protests.

Tourist bus bombed near Egypt's famed Giza pyramids, injuries reported

Authorities said an improvised explosive devise detonated as the bus passed.

A bus full of foreign tourists was bombed Sunday near Egypt's famed pyramids of Giza, injuring several passengers, authorities said.

The explosion happened as the tour bus was driving past the Grand Egyptian Museum, close to the pyramids in Giza, officials said.

The bus was headed to the nearby Movenpick hotel when an improvised bomb believed to have been planted by the side of the road detonated, officials said.

Several people on the bus were hurt, but an official told ABC News that most of the injuries appear to be minor.

Photos of the damaged bus posted on social media show its front window cracked and its side windows blown out.

"We are aware of a reported attack on a tourist bus in the museum complex near the Pyramids of Giza area, resulting in injuries. We are not aware of any injuries to U.S. citizens at this time. Please avoid the area and monitor local media for updates," officials at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo said in a message posted on Twitter.

The attack was similar to one that occurred six months ago in almost the same location near the Grand Egyptian Museum.

(MORE: Terror crackdown in Egypt following deadly tourist attack in Cairo)

On Dec. 28, a bus filled with Vietnamese tourists was targeted by a bomb planted in a wall and detonated as the bus went by. Four people on the bus were killed and 10 others were injured.

(MORE: At least 7 Coptic Christians killed in attack on buses in Egypt)

The December bombing was followed by police raids in Giza and North Sinai that left "40 terrorists" dead, Egyptian officials said.

Related Topics

Trending reader picks.

Justin Timberlake arrested, charged with DWI

• Jun 19, 1:03 PM

American tourist found dead on Greek island

• Jun 18, 4:36 PM

Witness says Gaetz paid her for sex: Sources

• Jun 19, 5:05 AM

Multiple people shot at splash pad park: Police

• Jun 19, 9:00 PM

Girl killed by badminton racket

• Jun 10, 7:51 PM

ABC News Live

24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

• Nation & World

Egypt attacks: 2 German female tourists, 5 policemen killed

Share story.

CAIRO (AP) — Two German female tourists were stabbed to death while four other foreigners were wounded in an attack Friday at a hotel in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada, an Egyptian security official said.

The assault came just hours after a shooting near some of Egypt’s most famous pyramids outside of Cairo killed five policemen.

The motive behind the stabbing was unclear and the Interior Ministry said the attacker at the Red Sea resort was arrested immediately.

A security official said the attacker, a man in his 20s dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, wielded a knife and intentionally sought to attack foreigners.

Most Read Nation & World Stories

• 64 people missing and many rescued from 2 shipwrecks off Italy. At least 11 have died VIEW
• Yellowstone tourist from Lynnwood sentenced to jail for ‘thermal trespass’
• Kate Middleton's Trooping the Colour appearance took a ‘toll’: report
• A bird-flu pandemic in people? Here’s what it might look like.
• The Trump rallying cry that’s also a math problem

“Stay away, I don’t want Egyptians,” the assailant had said in Arabic during the attack, according to the official.

Without taking any blame for what appears to be a major security breach, the Interior Ministry said the attacker had sneaked into the hotel by swimming from a nearby beach.

In the killings of the five policemen outside of Cairo, no group claimed responsibility for the attack but it bore the hallmarks of a smaller Islamic militant group known as Hasm that has been behind similar shootings in recent months.

Friday’s attacks are likely to further impact Egypt’s deeply struggling tourism industry — a pillar of the country’s economy that employs millions of people. The industry has suffered from political instability and a fragile security situation since the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.

The attacker in Hurghada, one of Egypt’s most popular beach resorts and diving centers, stabbed the tourists in the face, neck and feet, according to the security official.

Two German tourists died of their wounds while four tourists were wounded, including citizens of Ukraine and the Czech Republic, the official told The Associated Press.

Earlier, another official said that Ukrainians were killed and that the wounded included Serbian and Polish tourists. But in Belgrade, Serbia’s foreign ministry said no Serbian citizens were among the wounded. Later, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin tweeted that no Ukrainian citizens were among the victims in the Hurghada attack.

In Germany, the foreign ministry said that it “cannot rule out” that German citizens were among the victims, but stressed that it doesn’t yet have that information. The German Embassy in Cairo is in close contact with Egyptian authorities to clear that up, it added.

An emergency doctor at the al-Salam hospital in Hurghada declined to answer questions, only confirming that the wounded tourists were brought there. Both the security official and the doctor spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media.

The contradictory information reflected the confusion in the immediate aftermath of the attack involving foreigners in one of Egypt’s most popular resorts.

In the attack on the policemen, gunmen riding on a motorcycle opened fire on a security vehicle patrolling a Giza village, next to some of Egypt’s oldest pyramids outside of the capital, Cairo, killing the five policemen, the Interior Ministry and officials said.

The deadly shooting — on the Muslim weekend in Egypt, when traffic is slower — heightened fears of what has become near-weekly attacks by suspected Islamic militants after a blitz attack left 23 troops dead in northern Sinai a week ago.

Egypt has been under a months-long state of emergency following a series of deadly church bombings in the spring that killed scores of Christians.

The village of Abusir in Badrashin, where the policemen were killed, is part of Greater Cairo. The policemen were part of the force tasked to guard the district of Saqqara, one of Egypt’s most popular tourist sites and host to a collection of temples, tombs and funerary complexes.

According to the ministry, the militants sprayed the policemen’s vehicle with machine-gun fire and fled the scene after one policeman returned gunfire.

However, a video widely circulated on social media appears to show the attackers faced no resistance. It shows them seizing the policemen’s weapons and radios and setting fire to the bodies after the shooting.

Authorities cordoned off the area and ambulances rushed to the site, located near the famous Step Pyramid of King Djoser. It is the oldest of Egypt’s more than 90 pyramids and the forerunner of the more familiar straight-sided pyramids in Giza on the outskirts of Cairo.

Friday’s attacks threaten a new blow to the country’s struggling tourism industry and economy. The year before the 2011 uprising, nearly 15 million tourists visited Egypt. Last year, the figure was at 5.3 million, according to official reports. In 2015, an Islamic State affiliate in Egypt downed a Russian plane over Sinai, killing all 224 passengers aboard.

Egypt has been rocked by deadly suicide bombings, drive-by shootings and other attacks since the 2013 military ouster of an elected Islamist president. The violence has been concentrated in the northern Sinai Peninsula, but attacks have spread to the mainland, including in the capital, where suicide bombers have struck churches and security headquarters.

The last time tourists were attacked in Hurghada was in January 2016, when two Austrians and a Swede were stabbed by two suspected militants, also at a hotel. They were only lightly wounded. Security forces shot both attackers, killing one and wounding the other before arresting him.

The Brotherhood won a series of elections in Egypt following the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Mohammed Morsi, a senior Brotherhood leader, became Egypt’s first freely elected president the following year.

Morsi’s brief rule proved divisive, however, and the military overthrew him in 2013 after mass protests against his rule. Authorities outlawed the Brotherhood a few months later, declaring it a terrorist group. An ensuing security crackdown on the group’s ranks has battered its leaders, who are either in prison or in exile, and its youth group became potential recruits for militant groups.

The Hasm, or “Decisiveness,” is a militant group that authorities have linked to the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. It has claimed responsibility for drive-by shootings and attacks that targeted police, military, judges and pro-government figures in the past.

Last week, Islamic militants killed 23 army personnel in a remote checkpoint in northeastern Sinai Peninsula. The IS in Egypt claimed responsibility for that attack — the deadliest assault on the military in the turbulent region in two years.

Coptic Christians have been a prime target of IS in Egypt, with more than 100 of them killed in the past few months alone. Egypt’s Christians account for about 10 percent of the country’s 93 million people.

The attacks have prompted the Coptic churches to suspend religious festivals and group tour trips to monasteries for the remainder of the summer.

Associated Press writers Maamoun Youssef in Cairo, Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

Invest in news coverage you can trust.

Donate to PBS News Hour by June 30 !

What do you think? Leave a respectful comment.

Samy Magdy, Associated Press Samy Magdy, Associated Press

• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/bomb-hits-tourist-bus-near-egypts-giza-pyramids-wounds-17

Bomb hits tourist bus near Egypt’s Giza Pyramids, wounds 17

CAIRO — A roadside bomb hit a tourist bus on Sunday near the Giza Pyramids, wounding at least 17 people including tourists, Egyptian officials said.

An ambulance at the site of a blast near the Giza pyramids in Cairo, Egypt May 19, 2019. Photo by Stringer/via Reuters

The officials said the bus was traveling on a road close to the under-construction Grand Egyptian Museum, which is located adjacent to the Giza Pyramids but is not yet open to tourists.

The bus was carrying at least 25 people mostly from South Africa, officials added.

Security forces cordoned off the site of the explosion and the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital, they said.

A damaged bus is seen at the site of a blast near a new museum being built close to the Giza pyramids in Cairo, Egypt May 19, 2019. Photo by Ahmed Fahmy/Reuters

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief media.

Egypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilled over to the mainland, hitting minority Christians or tourists.

The attack comes as Egypt’s vital tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after years in the doldrums because of the political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.

It is the second to target foreign tourists near the famed pyramids in less than six months. In December, a bus carrying 15 Vietnamese tourists was hit by a roadside bomb, killing at least three of them.

Support Provided By: Learn more

Support PBS News:

Educate your inbox

Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else.

Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm.

Timeline: Tourist attacks in Egypt

Following is a timeline of attacks on foreigners since 1992.

Tourists have been attacked in Egypt before and in the latest incident on Monday, at least 19 people, including 12 foreigners, have been abducted in the country’s south.

Here is a chronology of some of the most significant incidents of violence involving foreigners since the early 1990s:

21 October 1992 : A British woman is killed and two British men wounded in an attack near Dairut in the south. The woman is the first foreigner to die in such an attack.

26 February 1993 : Bomb in crowded coffee shop in central Cairo kills a Turk, a Swede and an Egyptian and wounds 20 others.

8 June 1993 : Blast near tour bus on Pyramids Road in Cairo kills two Egyptians and wounds 22 others, including five Britons.

27 October 1993 : A man described as a mentally disturbed musician shoots dead two US businessmen, a French jurist and an Italian at a luxury Cairo hotel.

4 March 1994 : Armed men fire at a Nile cruiser in southern Egypt, wounding a German woman, who died after being flown back to her country.

26 August 1994 : A Spanish boy is killed in an attack on a tourist bus in southern Egypt.

27 September 1994 :   A German is killed and another wounded in an attack on the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. Two Egyptians were also killed. Another German man died of his wounds after returning to his country.

23 October 1994 :   A British tourist is killed and three others wounded in an attack on a minibus.

18 April 1996 : Eighteen Greek tourists are killed in an attack after being “mistaken for Israelis” near the Pyramids.

18 September 1997 : Nine German tourists and their Egyptian bus driver are killed in a shooting and firebomb attack outside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.   17 November 1997 : Attackers kill 58 tourists and four Egyptians at an ancient temple near the southern town of Luxor. Six of the attackers and three policemen also die in the violence.

7 October 2004 : A series of bombings at the Taba Hilton hotel on Egypt’s border with Israel, and two beaches further south, kill 34 people.

7 April 2005 : A suicide bomb attack in a bazaar in Old Cairo kills a US citizen, a French man and a woman.

30 April 2005 : A suicide attack wounds seven people including four foreigners – two Israelis, an Italian and a Swede – near the Egyptian Museum.

23 July 2005 : Car bombs hit Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Shaikh, devastating an upmarket hotel. The government put the toll at 64, but hospitals reported 88 killed.

24 April 2006 : At least 22 people are killed and 150 wounded in three blasts in the Red Sea resort of Dahab.

22 September 2008 : Nineteen people, including 12 foreigners, are abducted in the country’s south.

Accessibility Links

Tourists hurt in bomb attack near Pyramids in Egypt

At least 16 people including South African tourists were injured when a bus carrying them around the site of the Pyramids near Cairo was struck by a bomb today.

The attack took place near the Grand Egyptian Museum, which when completed will replace the National Museum that houses the country’s greatest treasures.

First aid was given to casualties at the scene, though no one was thought to be seriously hurt. Some were then taken to the nearby El-Haram Hospital.

The bus carrying 25 tourists was left with shattered windows. A passing car, with four Egyptian nationals inside, was also seriously damaged by the roadside blast. All four were treated for their injuries.

“It happened right in front of the Grand Museum,” one witness, who asked

Related articles

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Fitness & Wellbeing
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance Deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

Cairo bombing: At least four killed after explosion hits tourist bus near Giza Pyramids

Attack will likely prompt authorities to tighten security around churches ahead of new year’s eve celebrations , article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails, thanks for signing up to the breaking news email.

A roadside bomb has hit a tourist bus near the pyramids in Cairo , killing at least four people and wounding 10 others, Egyptian authorities said.

Three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed as the bus was travelling in the Marioutiyah area near the Giza Pyramids when the roadside bomb, concealed by a wall, went off.

The interior ministry confirmed the death of two of the tourists, and the state prosecutor’s office later said a third had died.

In total, 14 Vietnamese tourists had been travelling on the bus, it said. Police are investigating, the ministry added.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told local TV from Al Haram hospital the guide had died from his injuries.

World news in pictures

“The bus deviated from the route secured by the security forces,” Mr Madbouly 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 bus driver later told local media he had followed a standard tourist bus route.

No immediate claim of responsibility was reported. Islamist extremists including some linked to Isis are active in Egypt and have targeted foreign visitors in the past.

Photos from the scene of the attack showed the bus behind a police cordon with one of its sides badly damaged and the windows blown out. Police and firefighters were at the scene.

Egypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilt over to the mainland, hitting minority Christians or tourists.

This is the first attack to target foreign tourists in almost two years.

The attack took place as Egypt’s vital tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after years in the decline because of the political turmoil and violence following a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.

It will likely prompt authorities to further tighten security around churches and associated facilities ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebrations and next month’s Christmas celebrations of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the dominant denomination among Egypt’s estimated 10 million Christians.

Over the past two years, militant attacks against Christians in Egypt – usually targeting churches or buses carrying pilgrims to remote desert monasteries – have killed over a hundred people.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre