Four killed in Cairo

Four killed in Cairo blast
 

At least four people, including two foreign nationals, have lost lives in an explosion near a popular tourist area in Cairo.

The blast ripped through the historic Khan el-Khalili market in eastern part of the Egyptian capital where holidaymakers shop for trinkets and sit at outdoor coffee shops.

Meanwhile, Egyptian Health Minister Hatem el-Gabali stated that a French woman was among those killed in the incident.

The minister added that seventeen people including 10 French tourists, one German and three from Saudi Arabia also sustained injuries.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Extremists have hit the country's tourist industry in recent decades through bomb and shooting attacks.

Tourism in Egypt reached record levels last year after a lull in deadly attacks over the last few years.

However, masked gunmen took 19 tourists and locals hostage last September, as they were visiting a remote desert area near the Sudanese and Libyan borders. All eleven tourists and eight locals were later released unharmed.

MP/MMN