Three explosions rocked the Egypt's Sinai resort town of Dahab
Last update - 21:33 24/04/2006
Dozens reported dead and wounded in tourist town blasts
By Jack Khoury and Revital Levy-Stein, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service
Three explosions rocked the Egypt's Sinai resort town of Dahab on Monday night, leaving at least 22 people dead and 150 wounded.
One blast hit a hotel, a second a restaurant and the third explosion rocked the resort town's market area.
Dr. Said Essa, head of the Egyptian rescue forces in the region, said at least 17 people were killed in the el-Mashrabiyah Hotel alone.
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There were no immediate reports of any Israeli casualties and Israel's ambassador to Egypt, Shalom Cohen, also said he was unaware of Israeli casualties. There are not large numbers of Israelis tourists in Sinai at this time of year.
Rescue forces in the southern Israeli city of Eilat are on highest alert and are prepared for an evacuation of wounded Israelis back north across the border.
Eilat's hospital is calling on people to donate blood.
Police officials said more than 20 ambulances and police cars were rushing to the el-Masbat section of Dahab's old city. Smoke was rising from the area.
The explosions were heard about 7:15 p.m. local time (1715
GMT), the witness said.
This is high tourist season - part of a five-day Egyptian holiday - and hotels all along the Egyptian coasts could be expected to be at near capacity.
"There is smoke coming from the area and there are people running everywhere," said the witness, who did not want to be named.
Body parts and debris were seen in the streets after an explosion in a tourist restaurant, other residents said. One visitor said cars and buses leaving the resort were being stopped by police.
"There were body parts and debris in the street ... There are ambulances and cars taking people to hospital," said another resident who also did not want to be named.
Dahab is located on on the Gulf of Aqaba on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula. Monday is part of a five-day spring holiday in Egypt.
There have been a string of attacks in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula over the past 18 months, including deadly Al-Qaida-style bombings in the Egyptian resorts of Taba and
Ras Shitan in October 2004 and in Sharm el-Sheik in July.
Groups claiming links to Al-Qaida took responsibility for those attacks, and Egyptian authorities say new Islamic militant groups have arisen in the peninsula - but they are still trying to determine if they have any real connection to al-Qaida or other international terrorists.
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