Blast at hotel in Red Sea resort, Egypt

[HW Chris]

An explosion at a hotel on the border between Egypt and Israel has caused a number of casualties.
The explosion took place at the Hilton hotel in the Egyptian town of Taba, just across the border from the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat.

Egyptian police are quoted as saying that 23 Israelis have been killed.

Israeli army radio reports the blast was probably caused by a car bomb, but there has been no confirmation and a gas explosion is also suspected.

Shortly after news of the Taba explosion came in there were reports of two other blasts nearby. Details are still coming in on those.

Taba is the main crossing point between Israel and Egypt, and a major gateway for thousands of Israelis going on holiday to resorts and hotels on the Red Sea.

Many holidaymakers would have been celebrating the last day of a Jewish holiday, Sukkot.

Last month, the Israeli government urged its citizens not to visit Egypt, saying there had been a firm threat to tourists there.

A large number of people were being evacuated to a hospital in Eilat, Israel radio stations said.

"There are dozens of people on the floor, lots of blood, it is very tense," one witness Yigal Vakni told Israel's Army Radio.

"I was in the casino when it happened. There was a massive explosion and the left wall came down.

"People started to run around like crazy."




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