A roadside bomb that hit a bus with tourists, killing four people in it, was a homemade device.

The incident, close to the Giza pyramids, claimed the lives of three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian tour guide.

The blast also wounded 11 other Vietnamese tourists as well as the Egyptian driver. </s> CAIRO: An explosion targeting a tourist bus injured at least 12 people near a new museum being built close to the Giza pyramids in Egypt on Sunday, two security sources said. Most of those injured were foreign tourists, the sources said. One security source said they included South African nationals. There were no reports of deaths. A witness, Mohamed el-Mandouh, told media he heard a “very loud explosion” while sitting in traffic near the site of the blast. Pictures posted on social media showed a bus with some of its windows blown out or shattered, and debris in the road next to a low wall with a hole in it. In December, three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed and at least 10 others injured when a roadside bomb hit their tour bus less than 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Giza pyramids. </s> Three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed and at least 10 others injured when a roadside bomb blast hit their tour bus on Friday less than 4 km (2.5 miles) from Egypt’s world-famous Giza pyramids, authorities said.

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

No immediate claim of responsibility was reported.

Islamist extremists, including militants linked to Islamic State, are active in Egypt and have targeted foreign visitors in the past.

At least nine Vietnamese tourists were wounded, as well as the Egyptian driver, according to official statements.

The tourists were heading to a sound and light show at the pyramids, which they had visited earlier in the day, said Lan Le, 41, who was also aboard 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, where the injured were taken. “I don’t remember anything after.”

Egypt’s interior ministry said the bus was hit by an explosion from an improvised device hidden near a wall at around 6.15 p.m. (1615 GMT).

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 side street close to the ring road, where traffic was moving normally.

Shortly afterward, 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 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.

Vietnam called on Egypt to find those behind the attack.

“Vietnam is extremely angered by and strongly condemns this act of terrorism that killed and injured innocent Vietnamese people,” foreign ministry spokeswoman, Le Thi Thu Hang, said in a statement.

“Vietnam requests that Egypt promptly launch an investigation into the case and track down those responsible.”

Egypt’s prime minister, Mostafa Madbouly, told media from Al Haram hospital that the bus had taken an unexpected route.

“The bus deviated from the route secured by the security forces,” Madbouly told Extra News channel, an assertion also made by the owner of the company that organised the bus tour.

“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,” the prime minister said.

The bus driver later told media he had not deviated from the route.

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.

The last deadly attack on foreign tourists in Egypt was in July 2017, when two Germans were stabbed to death in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. </s> CAIRO (Reuters) - Three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed and at least 10 others injured when a bomb blast hit their bus on Friday less than four km (2.5 miles) 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, recovers 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.

At least nine Vietnamese tourists were injured, as well as the Egyptian driver, according to official statements.

The tourists were heading to a sound and light show at the pyramids, which they had also visited earlier in the day, said Lan Le, 41, who was in 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, where the injured were taken. “I don’t remember anything after.”

The interior ministry said the bus was hit by an explosion from an improvised device hidden near a wall on Marioutiya street at around 1815 (1615 GMT).

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 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 traveling on the bus, it said.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told local TV from Al Haram hospital 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 bus driver later told local media he had followed a standard tourist bus route.

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.

The last deadly attack on foreign tourists in Egypt was in July 2017, when two Germans were stabbed to death in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. </s> At least 14 people have been injured in an explosion which targeted a tourist bus in front of the Grand Egyptian Museum close to the Giza Pyramids, according to Al Arabiya sources.

Most of those injured were foreign tourists, two sources told Reuters. One security source said they included South African nationals.

 

 There were no reports of deaths. A witness, Mohamed el-Mandouh, said he heard a “very loud explosion” while sitting in traffic near the site of the blast.

 

 Pictures posted on social media showed a bus with some of its windows blown out or shattered, and debris in the road next to a low wall with a hole in it.

 

 In December, three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed and at least 10 others injured when a roadside bomb hit their tour bus less than four kilometers from the Giza pyramids. </s> CAIRO (Reuters) - An explosion targeting a tourist bus injured at least 12 people on Sunday, mostly South African tourists, near a new museum being built close to the Giza pyramids in Egypt, two security sources said.

A third security source said the bus was carrying 25 South African tourists from the airport to the pyramids area, and that four Egyptians in a nearby car were also injured by broken glass.

Security and judicial sources said a rudimentary device containing nails and pieces of metal had been detonated remotely on the perimeter of the Grand Egyptian Museum, not far from the site of a roadside blast that hit another tourist bus in December.

Pictures posted on social media showed a bus with some of its windows blown out or shattered, and debris in the road next to a low wall with a hole in it.

One witness told Reuters he heard a “very loud explosion” while sitting in traffic.

South Africa’s foreign ministry said staff from its embassy in Egypt were visiting hospitals to check on the reported injuries.

The museum is due to open next year as the new home for some of the country’s top antiquities on a site adjoining the world-famous Giza pyramids. It is part of an effort to boost tourism, a key source of foreign revenue for Egypt.

The sector has been recovering after tourist numbers dropped in the wake of a 2011 uprising and the 2015 bombing of a Russian passenger jet.

There was no damage to the museum from the blast, which happened 50 meters from its outer fence and more than 400 meters from the museum building, the Antiquities Ministry said in a statement.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Egyptian security forces are waging a counter insurgency campaign against Islamist militants, some with links to Islamic State, that is focused in the north of the Sinai Peninsula.

Attacks outside Sinai have become relatively rare, though there have been several security incidents in recent months in Giza, across the Nile from central Cairo.

In December, three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed and at least 10 others injured when a roadside bomb hit their tour bus less than 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Giza pyramids. </s> Three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed and 11 others injured when a bomb blast hit their bus on Friday 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 interior ministry said the bus was hit by an explosion from an improvised device hidden near a wall on Marioutiya street at around 1815 (1615 GMT).

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.

The last deadly attack on foreign tourists in Egypt was in July 2017, when two Germans were stabbed to death in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. </s> EGYPTIAN POLICE KILLED 40 suspects in a crackdown today after a roadside bomb hit a tour bus claiming the lives of three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian guide.

Thirty alleged “terrorists” were killed in separate raids in Giza governorate, home to Egypt’s famed pyramids and the scene of yesterday’s deadly bombing, while 10 others were killed in North Sinai, the interior ministry said without directly linking them to the attack.

It said authorities had received information the suspects were preparing a spate of attacks “targeting state institutions, particularly economic ones, as well as tourism, armed forces, police and Christian places of worship”.

A security source said the raids took place early this morning, hours after yesterday’s roadside bombing which officials said hit a tour bus in the Al-Haram district near the Giza pyramids killing the three Vietnamese holidaymakers and their Egyptian guide.

Eleven other tourists from Vietnam and an Egyptian bus driver were wounded, the public prosecutor’s office said.

Saigon Tourist, the company that organised the trip, said the tourists were “on their way to a restaurant for dinner” when the bomb exploded.

Company officials were heading to Cairo on Saturday and plans were made to allow some relatives of the victims to also fly to Egypt.

One of them was Nguyen Nguyen Vu whose sister Nguyen Thuy Quynh, 56, died in the bombing, while her husband, Le Duc Minh, was wounded.

Police at the scene of last night's bomb attack. Source: DPA/PA Images

The couple, both aged 56, were in the seafood business, Quynh’s younger brother said.

“We were all very shocked… My sister and her husband travel quite a lot and they are quite experienced in travelling abroad,” Vu told AFP.

He said he was applying for a visa for Egypt and hoped to travel on Saturday. “Our wish is that we could bring my sister back home.”

Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang thanked Egyptians who were caring for the survivors. She said in a statement:

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, the first attack to target tourists since 2017.

Last night’s attack was the latest blow to Egypt’s vital tourism industry, which has been reeling from turmoil set off by the 2011 uprising that forced veteran president Hosni Mubarak from power.

While tourism has picked up since 2011, the 8.2 million people who visited Egypt in 2017 are still a far cry from the 14.7 million who visited in the year before the uprising. </s> GIZA CITY, GIZA, Egypt — At least 14 people were injured in an explosion that targeted a tourist bus carrying 25 South African citizens, Egypt’s state-run Ahram daily reported.

A device exploded near the bus, Ahram reported, while the windshield of another vehicle was damaged. The blast took place outside the yet-to-be-opened Grand Egyptian Museum, near the Giza pyramids.

Egypt’s Minister of Tourism Rania A. Al Mashat called it a “minor explosion” in a Twitter post. “Of the 28 passengers on the bus we can confirm some minor injuries with three being treated at the hospital as a precaution,” she wrote.

South Africa’s government issued a statement on Sunday, saying the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Lindiwe Sisulu, had been informed about the incident.

“Initial media reports suggest that South Africans might be among the injured,” the statement said. “The 24-hour operational center has been activated and South Africa’s Ambassador Vusi Mavimbela and his team in Egypt are engaging with authorities including visiting hospitals to verify the information.”

“The bus was hit but it didn’t look like it exploded,” Mona Zeidan, an eyewitness told CNN.

“They were all minor injuries and nothing serious,” Zeidan, who drove by the site of the explosion after the incident, told CNN.

“Security was inspecting the bus,” she added.

An official at the nearby Al-Haram Hospital told CNN they were receiving the injured tourists.

In December, three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian tour guide were killed when a roadside bomb struck a tourist bus in the Giza region. At least 11 people were injured in the attack.
An explosion caused by a roadside bomb hits a tourist bus in Cairo, Egypt, near the Giza pyramid complex. Three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian tour guide are killed, while 12 others are injured.