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Egyptian security forces accidentally shoot dead 12 Mexican tourists and guides | Egyptian security forces accidentally shoot dead 12 Mexican tourists and guides |
(35 minutes later) | |
At least a dozen tourists and their guides have been killed in what is reported to be an accidental attack on their convoy by Egyptian security forces. | At least a dozen tourists and their guides have been killed in what is reported to be an accidental attack on their convoy by Egyptian security forces. |
The tourists are reported to be Mexican and as many as 10 other passengers in a convoy of four cars are said to have been injured. | |
Related: Egyptian forces kill tourists and guides 'while chasing terrorists' – rolling report | Related: Egyptian forces kill tourists and guides 'while chasing terrorists' – rolling report |
A statement from Egyptian interior ministry said while police and armed forces were pursuing “terrorist elements” they had accidentally engaged with a tourist convoy. | |
The ministry statement claimed the tourists should not have been in that area and their presence there was “illegal”. | The ministry statement claimed the tourists should not have been in that area and their presence there was “illegal”. |
“A joint force from the police and military, whilst chasing terrorist elements in the oasis area of the Western desert tonight, accidentally engaged four four-wheel drives belonging to a Mexican tourist group,” the ministry said. | |
“The incident resulted in the death of 12 Mexicans and Egyptians and the injury of 10 others who have been transferred to hospitals.” | “The incident resulted in the death of 12 Mexicans and Egyptians and the injury of 10 others who have been transferred to hospitals.” |
The statement added that the wounded had been taken to hospital and an investigation had been launched into the circumstances. | |
Egypt is battling an insurgency that gained pace after the military ousted the Islamist president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 after mass protests against his rule. | |
The insurgency, mounted by Islamic State’s Egyptian affiliate, has killed hundreds of soldiers and police and has started to attack western targets. | |
Earlier on Sunday Islamic State released a statement carried by its supporters on Twitter saying it had repelled an attack by the Egyptian military in the Western desert, a recent development for the insurgency that had been largely based in the Sinai peninsula with occasional attacks taking place in Cairo and other cities. | |
Egypt’s economy is traditionally driven by tourism but arrivals have plummeted as the country tries to recover from years of political and economic chaos. | Egypt’s economy is traditionally driven by tourism but arrivals have plummeted as the country tries to recover from years of political and economic chaos. |
About 10 million tourists visited in 2014, down sharply from a 2010 figure of almost 15 million people who visited the country with its archaeological sites and Red Sea resorts. | About 10 million tourists visited in 2014, down sharply from a 2010 figure of almost 15 million people who visited the country with its archaeological sites and Red Sea resorts. |
More to follow soon ... | More to follow soon ... |