Move FM Global News

CAIRO, Egypt – In a shocking incident, a tourist bus carrying Vietnamese tourists was struck by a roadside bomb in Egypt, killing four people and leaving 10 others injured. 

Egypt’s Interior Ministry said confirmed the bombing in a statement and said that the tourist bus was struck by a roadside bomb at about 6.15 pm local time (16.45 GMT) on Friday, in the Giza region near Cairo.

According to the Ministry, the bomb went off when the bus was travelling on Marioutiyah Street in Giza’s Haram district.

Two of the 14 Vietnamese tourists travelling on the bus were killed in the bombing, while another died later. An Egyptian guide also severely injured, died later in hospital, taking the death toll to four.

The driver of the bus, also an Egyptian remains on the injured list.

Local media reports featured a photo of the aftermath of the attack, which showed a burned white coach with all the windows of the vehicle shattered.

According to officials, security forces have launched an investigation into the bombing.

An initial probe revealed that the crude roadside bomb was concealed by a wall when it went off. 

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Since the 2011 uprising that toppled Egypt’s former leader Hosni Mubarak, the country has been battling Islamist militant groups that are leading a deadly insurgency, mostly in the Sinai Peninsula.

While militant groups in the region have frequently targeted Egypt’s minority Christians, they have also launched attacks on tourists previously. 

However, Friday’s attack was the first time in two years that foreign tourists visiting Egypt have been victimized in a bombing.

Last year, two German tourists were stabbed to death at a hotel in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. 

The attack is said to have triggered authorities in the country to further tighten security across key locations in the country, ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Security arrangements are also being made around many key churches in the country ahead of next month’s Christmas celebrations of the Coptic Orthodox Church – which is the dominant denomination among the country’s nearly 10 million Christians.