Egypt attack: Mexico minister visits injured survivors

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Mexico's foreign minister has visited six survivors of an Egyptian army attack in which eight Mexican tourists were killed after being mistaken for militants.

Claudia Ruiz Massieu met the survivors in hospital in Cairo, and said they were doing well.

She called for a thorough investigation into the incident, which happened on Sunday in Egypt's western desert.

The exact circumstances of the attack remain unclear.

A Egyptian prosecutor has issued an order banning journalists from reporting details of the investigation now taking place.

Egypt says its forces had been pursuing Islamic militants in the Western Desert and mistook the Mexican tourists for the militants.

It has apologised, but has insisted the group were in a restricted area. Local sources deny the claim.

Egypt has been battling Islamist militants for years, with attacks escalating since the 2013 ousting of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

Until recently, most of the fighting has taken place in the Sinai Peninsula with occasional attacks taking place in Cairo and other cities.

Bahariya oasis

The tour group had been travelling in a convoy of four 4x4s near the Bahariya oasis, a popular tourist location. The organisers said they had stopped for a picnic when the group was attacked.

The interior ministry said an Apache helicopter targeted the tourists "by mistake".

Egypt's ambassador to Mexico City, Yasser Shaban, said the tourists' 4x4 vehicles resembled those used by the militants the security forces were chasing.

Ms Ruiz Massieu said she hoped to be able to return home both the injured, their families and the bodies of those who had died in the next few days.