This happened just over an hour ago, reports are still very patchy but its not looking good. The Red Sea is fast becoming a popular destination for cruises and has been a favourite holiday spot for many years. Although no nationalities have been given as yet, thoughts are with all those involved.
Quote:
CAIRO (Reuters) - Three explosions shook the Egyptian Sinai resort of Dahab on Monday and smoke could be seen rising from the town's tourist bazaar, witnesses said.
Residents said they saw body parts and debris on the street after an explosion at a restaurant. Media reports spoke of at least 100 dead and injured.
"There is smoke coming from the area and there are people running everywhere," said the witness, who did not want to be named. The explosions were heard about 7:15 p.m. local time (6:15 p.m. British Time) on Monday, part of a five-day spring holiday in Egypt, the witness said.
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.
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 ripped through hotels and shopping areas in Egypt's tourist area of Sharm el-Sheikh.
At least 22 people have been killed and scores more injured in three explosions in the Egyptian resort town of Dahab. The blasts occurred in quick succession in an area frequented by tourists at about 1915 local time (1715 GMT).
One resident told Reuters news agency that there were "body parts and debris in the street".
Southern Sinai peninsula resorts have been hit several times by bomb attacks. About 60 people were killed last July in a similar attack in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Police said more than 20 ambulances and police cars rushed to the el-Masbat area of the Red Sea resort.
An interior ministry spokesman confirmed the blasts. "There were explosions, but the picture is still not clear," he told Reuters news agency.
About 150 people are thought to have been injured. 'Loud explosions'
Police said the blasts happened in the central part of the city, where there are many shops and restaurants.
A local doctor told the Associated Press news agency that one of the blasts took place at a hotel.
One eyewitness told the BBC he heard three "very loud explosions" in the shopping area of the town. After the blast he said he saw "a lot of bloody people coming by".
"The Egyptian police are very organised and they've cleared out the whole area where the bombs went off," he said.
A local ambulance official told Reuters that many of the dead appeared to be foreigners.
The explosions seemed to have been caused by remote-controlled bombs, rather than suicide bombers, according to state television.
The Red Sea Coast resort is popular with Western and Israeli tourists as well as Egyptian holidaymakers and would have been packed as tourists began an evening out.
In July 2005, more than 60 people died in a bomb attack in the tourist area of the Egyptian resort town of Sharm al-Sheik.
The BBC's Heba Saleh says the Egyptian authorities have uncovered a militant group active in the Sinai, but they have said very little about it. The group is also thought to have been responsible for bombings in the resort of Taba in October 2004, when 34 people were killed.
This story will probably be unfolding over the next 24 hours as more details of what happened is discovered. It does look as though many of those hurt or killed were foreign holidaymakers, not just Egyptians who are celebrating their spring break.
I would definitely be wary of travelling to the Middle East or Israel this year, especially being an American.:thumbsdow
It's unfortunate that it comes so soon after additional warnings of bombing of innocent people.:icon_smil
This has hit many nationalities, no-one was singled out just like every other terror attack anywhere in the world.
There are confirmed reports that at least 3 of the casualties are British tourists, the Foreign Office has issued an emergency number for families to contact if they have relatives staying in the Dehab area of Egypt...
020 7008 0000
The attacks last night have been widely condemmed by Hamas, the Egyptian political membership and every political movement in the Middle East.
This was a shocking attack done during an Egyptian National Holiday, very sad and a great waste of life.
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