TOUR BUS TRAGEDY
Cairo tourist bus bombing – Four killed and 10 wounded in terror blast near Egypt’s famous pyramids
The blast happened in the south of the city with Egyptian security officials saying a roadside bomb exploded near the Giza pyramids
A ROADSIDE bomb ripped through a tourist bus near the Giza Pyramids — killing at least four people and badly wounding 10 others.
The coach was hit by an explosion from an improvised device hidden near a wall on Marioutiya Street at about 6.15pm local time.
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About two hours later the bus could be seen behind a police cordon with one of its sides badly damaged and the windows blown out.
Dozens of police and firefighters were at the scene, on a narrow side street close to the ring road.
It is unclear who carried out the suspected terror attack.
Three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed and at least 12 others injured, authorities said.
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This is the first attack to target foreign tourists in almost two years.
No immediate claim of responsibility was reported.
But Islamist extremists including some linked to ISIS are active in Egypt and have targeted foreign visitors in the past.
The outrage takes place as the country's vital tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after years in the doldrums because of the political turmoil following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.
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The protests linked to the uprising 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.
An investigator at the scene said the device had likely been planted near the wall.
The injured from today’s bombing were taken to the nearby Al Haram hospital, where Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told local TV that the guide had died from his injuries.
Mr Madbouly told Extra News TV: "The bus deviated from the route secured by the security forces.
"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."
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It will likely prompt authorities to further tighten security around churches and associated facilities ahead of the New year's Eve celebrations and next month's Christmas celebrations of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the dominant denomination among Egypt's estimated 10 million Christians.
Over the past two years, militant attacks against Christians in Egypt usually targeting churches or buses carrying pilgrims to remote desert monasteries have killed over a hundred people.
The FCO has stopped short of advising against any travel to Cairo and Giza.
But it has warned of threats to foreigners posted on websites and social media.
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