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Cairo restaurant firebomb attack kills 16 Cairo restaurant firebomb attack kills 16
(about 5 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 took place at the El Sayad restaurant, in the central Agouza area.
Egypt's interior ministry said it appeared to have followed a row between workers and others at the venue, which also housed a nightclub. Egyptian officials say six suspects are believed to have targeted the building after two of them had earlier been barred from entering.
Media reports say three masked men threw the devices into the venue before fleeing. The restaurant was in the basement, with only one door leading out, making it harder for people to escape.
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, Reuters news agency said. Three other people were injured.
The victims died from burns or the effects of inhaling smoke, the agency said. At least five other people were injured. Eleven of those who died were members of staff, AP quoted Interior Ministry spokesman Abu Bakr Abdel-Karim as saying.
At the scene: Orla Guerin, BBC NewsAt 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.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.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.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.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.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 venue also served as an unofficial nightclub, reports said.
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.