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Cairo restaurant firebomb attack kills 16 | Cairo restaurant firebomb attack kills 16 |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Sixteen people have been killed in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, after firebombs were thrown into a restaurant, officials say. | Sixteen people have been killed in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, after firebombs were thrown into a restaurant, officials say. |
The attack happened in the Agouza area, in the city centre. | The attack happened in the Agouza area, in the city centre. |
Egypt's interior ministry said it appeared to have followed a row between workers and others at the venue, which also housed a nightclub. | Egypt's interior ministry said it appeared to have followed a row between workers and others at the venue, which also housed a nightclub. |
Media reports say three masked men threw the devices into the venue before fleeing. | Media reports say three masked men threw the devices into the venue before fleeing. |
The restaurant was in the basement of the building, making it harder for people to escape, Reuters reports. | |
The victims died from burns or the effects of inhaling smoke, the agency said. At least five other people were injured. | |
At the scene: Orla Guerin, BBC News | |
Police and forensic investigators are still working inside the charred remains of the restaurant on the banks of the Nile. | |
When the blaze broke out at around 06:30 local time there was little chance of escape for those inside. The narrow blackened entrance way was the only way out. | |
One eyewitness told us firemen were slow to enter the building because they did not know anyone was trapped inside. | |
The local chemist told us he saw two men fleeing from the scene on motorbikes. He said initially he thought it was a terrorist attack but then he recalled having seen some of the men outside the restaurant the night before when they were turned away. | |
Video shot at the scene by an Egyptian news site showed thick, grey smoke billowing out of a doorway at street level as passersby tried to get close. Flames could be seen inside the entrance, as one man used a fire extinguisher to try to tackle the blaze. | |
The victims died from burns or the effects of inhaling smoke, it said. At least five other people were injured. | The victims died from burns or the effects of inhaling smoke, it said. At least five other people were injured. |
Cairo has previously been rocked by a series of attacks on security forces and civilians carried out by suspected Islamist militants. | Cairo has previously been rocked by a series of attacks on security forces and civilians carried out by suspected Islamist militants. |
An Islamist insurgency intensified in the wake of the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. | An Islamist insurgency intensified in the wake of the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. |