88 dead in Egypt, 9 foreigners
2005-07-23 17:06
Sharm El-Sheikh - At least 88 people were killed, including foreign tourists, in a string of bomb attacks that rocked the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh early on Saturday, hospital officials said.
Nine foreigners were among the people who perished in the multiple bombings, Egyptian police and foreign ministries said.
Two Britons, two Italians, one Ukrainian, one Russian, one Dutch citizen and one Israeli of Arab descent died, Egyptian sources told press.
The Czech Republic later reported one of its nationals had died.
The Foreign Office confirmed seven Britons were injured and two missing.
"We can confirm that seven Britons were injured in the blasts," a spokeswoman told press.
"Two have been injured seriously and they have been transferred to a hospital in Cairo. Two British nationals are still missing," she added.
There were conflicting reports about the number of Italians killed, with Egyptian police saying two had died and the Italian foreign ministry saying one.
Italy's foreign ministry said another 10 were wounded in the bombings in the Sinai resort, which is a popular destination with Italian tourists.
A 30-year-old Italian woman was among the foreign victims of the July 7 attacks in London.
Czech foreign ministry spokesman Vit Kolar said one national was among the dead and added there could also be Czechs among the wounded.
Private radio station Impuls reported that the Czech national killed was a 23-year-old tourist.
Egyptians were believed to have taken the brunt of the blasts with medics putting the overall death toll at 83.
At least three consecutive explosions went off shortly after 01:00. One of them destroyed the Ghazala Garden hotel on the resort's main stretch, another detonated in a car park and a third bomb ripped through the town's old market, police and witnesses said.
Many foreign tourists were wounded in the blasts.
"According to current information, German tourists were among those hurt," Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in a statement, without giving a precise number.
Three Spanish holidaymakers were among the wounded, the foreign ministry said in Madrid. An embassy official told public radio that all were out of danger.
Denmark said two of its nationals had been slightly hurt in the blasts but nobody had been seriously injured or killed.
Police said 30 bodies still had to be identified.
A group linked to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement the authenticity of which could not be verified. (AP/AFP)