Seventeen dead, 150 injured in Egypt blasts

Three explosions tonight rocked the Egyptian resort city of Dahab at the height of the tourist season, killing at least 17 people and wounding more than 150 at just one hotel, according to the doctor who runs Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula rescue squad.

Dr Said Essa headed to the scene of the blasts saying his casualty figures were for victims at the el-Khaleeg Hotel only.

He said there were casualties at the scene of the other blasts, but he had no details.

The manager of the nearby Dahab Divers Hotel & Dive Centre said the blast happened about 200m from its office.

He said he thought two were in separate restaurants, and the third was in the centre of the town.

“There was 20-30m between each of the bombs. It’s not a car bomb thing.

“They were inside the restaurants. Someone maybe put it under the table.”

He said the resort area was full at the moment, and he believed at least 100 people must have been hurt.

Al-Jazeera television said one of the explosions hit a restaurant.

There have been a string of attacks in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula over the past 18 months, including deadly al-Qaida-style bombings in the Egyptian resorts of Taba and Ras Shitan in October 2004 and in Sharm el-Sheik last July.

Groups claiming links to al-Qaida took responsibility for those attacks, and Egyptian authorities say new Islamic militant groups have arisen in the peninsula – but they are still trying to determine if they have any real connection to al-Qaida or other international terrorists.

This is high tourist season in the region, and hotels all along the Egyptian coasts could be expected to be at near capacity.

Dahab is located on the Gulf of Aqaba on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula.

Police officials said more than 20 ambulances and police cars were rushing to the el-Masbat section of the city.