Police officers near the site of the explosion in the Khan el-Khalili area yesterday, near the Hussein Mosque
CAIRO - A group of French teenagers on a school trip was hit hard by a bombing at a landm
ark Cairo bazaar, which killed a 17-year-old girl on the tour and wounded more than a dozen other students, the mayor of the teens' hometown said Monday.
Sunday night's explosion from a homemade bomb raised worries in Egypt
of wider damage to the country's vital tourism industry, which is already suffering from the global economic meltdown.
The blast went off in the main square of the sprawling Khan el-Khalili market, which was packed with tourists and Egyptians — including more than 40 high school students from the Paris suburb of Levallois-P
erret.
A government spokesman said the bomb was placed under a stone bench in a cafe where the French students were sitting in the square, next to one of Cairo's most revered shrines, the Hussein mosque.
The 17-year-old girl, who has not been identified, was killed and 24 people were wounded, including 17 French, said spokesman Magdy Radi, according to Egypt's state news agency MENA.
The students were nearing the end of their trip when the attack occurred, said Patrick Balkany, mayor of Levallois-Perret.
He said some of the students have serious wounds, and other students suffered psychological shock from the "horror" of the experience.
There was no
immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which was the first against tourists in Egypt in three years. However Police in Egypt on Monday detained at least five people for questioning following a deadly bombing in busy Cairo market.
Islamic extremists have in the past attacked tourists in an attempt to hurt Egypt's biggest source of income.
Courtesy: MENA, Star Tribune.Com and The Independent
ark Cairo bazaar, which killed a 17-year-old girl on the tour and wounded more than a dozen other students, the mayor of the teens' hometown said Monday.Sunday night's explosion from a homemade bomb raised worries in Egypt
of wider damage to the country's vital tourism industry, which is already suffering from the global economic meltdown.The blast went off in the main square of the sprawling Khan el-Khalili market, which was packed with tourists and Egyptians — including more than 40 high school students from the Paris suburb of Levallois-P
erret.A government spokesman said the bomb was placed under a stone bench in a cafe where the French students were sitting in the square, next to one of Cairo's most revered shrines, the Hussein mosque.
The 17-year-old girl, who has not been identified, was killed and 24 people were wounded, including 17 French, said spokesman Magdy Radi, according to Egypt's state news agency MENA.
The students were nearing the end of their trip when the attack occurred, said Patrick Balkany, mayor of Levallois-Perret.
He said some of the students have serious wounds, and other students suffered psychological shock from the "horror" of the experience.
There was no
immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which was the first against tourists in Egypt in three years. However Police in Egypt on Monday detained at least five people for questioning following a deadly bombing in busy Cairo market.Islamic extremists have in the past attacked tourists in an attempt to hurt Egypt's biggest source of income.
Courtesy: MENA, Star Tribune.Com and The Independent
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