Dozens killed in Egyptian blasts At least 49 people have been killed and more than 130 wounded in a string of bomb attacks in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el- Sheikh. The first explosion took place in the Old Market area, popular with tourists.
Other blasts followed in the nearby area of Naama Bay, which is packed with hotels. One blast tore off the front of the four-star Ghazala Gardens hotel. Britons, Dutch, Qataris, Kuwaitis and Egyptians were among the casualties, police sources said. Police sources said initial investigations suggested there had been at least four and possibly seven car bombs. The blasts came within minutes of each other, shortly after 0100 local time (2200 GMT), when the bars and markets were busy with tourists. There was shrapnel everywhere, the front of the hotel had been completely blown away Fabio Besone Witness In Naama Bay, there were explosions outside the Ghazala Gardens and Moevenpick hotels. A taxi rank was also targeted, police and witnesses said. TV pictures showed heavy damage to the Ghazala Gardens hotel, with parts of the building burned out and walls collapsed. One witness, Fabio Besone, who was at the nearby Hard Rock Cafe, said there were scenes of panic, with people running to get away. "There was shrapnel everywhere, the front of the hotel had been completely blown away, a couple of bodies lying down on the front of the road - I have no idea if they were alive or severely injured," he told the BBC. In the Old Market area, 17 people - believed to be Egyptian workers - were killed as they gathered at a street cafe, rescue officials said. The Sharm el-Sheikh area is popular with tourists from Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Europe. This is the height of the summer tourist season. Last October, 34 people died in car and truck bombs at Red Sea resorts on the eastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula. Those bombings were the first major attack in Egypt since 58 tourists were killed in the town of Luxor in 1997. Are you in the Sharm el-Sheikh area? Did you witness the explosions? Email your accounts. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/4709491.stm Published: 2005/07/23 03:17:14 GMT © BBC MMV Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
