Three explosions have been reported in the Egyptian resort town of Dahab, on the east side of the Sinai peninsula.
Police said there were casualties in the blasts, according to the Associated Press news agency.
They said more than 20 ambulances and police cars were rushing to the el-Masbat area of the city, AP said.
“There is smoke coming from the area and there are people running everywhere,” one witness told Reuters news agency.
Police: Many casualties in Egyptian resort blasts
Three explosions rocked the Egyptian resort city of Dahab on Monday night and there were at least 100 dead and wounded, according to the doctor who runs Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula rescue squad.
Dr. Said Essa said he was headed to the scene of the blasts, one of which hit the el-Mashrabiyah Hotel.
The explosions rocked the tourist bazaar area of the resort town.
Egyptian police also confirmed there were casualties in the blasts. Al-Jazeera reported an unknown number of dead were among the casualties.
A interior ministry official confirmed there had been explosions but said he had no further information. “There were explosions but the picture is still not clear,” he said.
Police officials said more than 20 ambulances and police cars were rushing to the el-Masbat section of Dahab’s old city. Smoke was rising from the area.
The explosions were heard about 7:15 p.m. local time (1715 GMT), the witness said.
“There is smoke coming from the area and there are people running everywhere,” said the witness, who did not want to be named.
Body parts and debris were seen in the streets after an explosion in a tourist restaurant, other residents said. One visitor said cars and buses leaving the resort were being stopped by police.
“There were body parts and debris in the street … There are ambulances and cars taking people to hospital,” said another resident who also did not want to be named.
Last July, at least 60 people, including foreigners, were
killed and more than 200 were wounded when two car bombs and a suitcase bomb ripped through hotels and shopping areas in Sinai’s Sharm el-Sheikh.Dahab is located on on the Gulf of Aqaba on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula. Monday is part of a five-day spring holiday in Egypt.
Seventeen people were killed and 90 wounded on Monday in three massive explosions in Dahab, on the east of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. [snip] The Sinai resort is commonly frequented by Israeli holidaymakers and is located on the Gulf of Aqaba on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula. Germans, Italians and British tourists were also reported to be in the area.
Senior U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials speaking on condition of anonymity told NBC News, “We have seen no information yet to indicate this was al-Qaida.� An intelligence official told NBC News the Egyptians are “very good� at tracking people after attacks of this sort, but have no details yet.
Ynet News (Israel):
Magen David Adom offers help to Egypt following Dahab explosions
Magen David Adom Director General Eli Bein offered medical assistance to Egyptian authorities following the Dahab explosions, in which at least 17 people were killed. An answer has not yet been given, but the organization is preparing to fly out crews to Sinai. The level of alert in Eilat has also been raised. (Meital Yasur Beit-Or)
MDA is the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross & Red Crescent, the name means Red Star of David…
Ynet News: At least 30 dead & 150 wounded
According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, several hundred Israelis are traveling in the Sinai but it is not clear how many are in the area. Reportedly three Israelis have checked in with the Israeli embassy to say they were near the area and heard the blasts but were not injured. Four observers have been sent by the embassy to the scene.
Looks like the smoke is visible in this satellite photo by Sky News reproduced in the Jerusalem Post:
Ynet News:
Israel’s Ambassador to Egypt Shalom Cohen said no Israelis were killed in the blast, al-Jazeera reported. Meanwhile, three wounded Israelis are apparently on their way to Israel, with paramedics waiting to receive them at the border.
Haaretz News Flash:
Three Israelis hurt in Dahab blasts evacuated to hospitals in Israel (Ch. 10)
Haaretz Analysis: Dahab terror attack indicative of Egypt’s failure
New York Times:
An ambulance-service official told Reuters that many of the dead in this evening’s attack appeared to be foreigners.
AP via Washington Post:
Police said the explosions hit the central part of the city where there are many shops, restaurants, bars and guesthouses. The blasts ripped through the town at 7:15 p.m., shortly after nightfall, when the streets would have been jammed with tourists _ mainly Egyptians, Europeans, Israelis and expatriates living in Egypt. The attackers struck a day after al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden issued a taped warning that ordinary Western citizens had become legitimate targets of his terrorist organization because of their support of governments that he said were conducting a “crusader war against Islam.” [snip] The Israeli rescue service, Magen David Adom, offered help through the International Red Cross and the Egyptian Red Crescent but has not received a reply, the service said in a statement.
You can see a few pictures of what Dahab used to look like in tonight’s Jerusalem Online in English
UPDATE: The death toll is unclear but certainly large. According to Haaretz:
Egyptian official: 20 foreigners from 10 countries among the dead; no Israeli casualties confirmed.
Sinai official: Dahab victims from Germany, Russia, Italy, South Korea, U.S. (Reuters)
Governor of South Sinai says Dahab blasts were work of suicide bombers (Reuters)
Egyptian authorities put Dahab death toll at 21, including 18 Egyptians (AP)
If 18 Egyptians and 20 foreigners are dead then we have 38 people murdered by terrorists.
The Foreign Ministry offered Israel’s assistance in the wake of the blasts, but Egypt declined.