On Sunday a terror attack targeted a bus full of tourists near the Giza Pyramids outside the Egyptian capital of Cairo, officials said. The blast wounded at least 16 people, with no initial reports that anyone died in the explosion.
Egyptian authorities described the attack as due to a roadside bomb placed in a heavily trafficked area packed with tourists, thus it appeared another attempt to cripple Egypt’s vital tourism industry — the second to target foreign visitors to the pyramids in under six months.
Early reports suggest it was a relatively small explosive device, and photographs of the aftermath show the bus suffered impact damage, but is intact.
According to Bloomberg:
Some of the wounded were foreign nationals, according to Mohammed El-Saghir, head of police investigations in Giza’s al-Haram neighborhood. The blast occurred in front of a museum that’s under construction, and there was not immediate claim of responsibility.
In the hours following the number of wounded rose to 18, with police saying they’re attempting to track the source, which a number of reports have linked with Islamic militant groups which have long battled Egypt’s security services.
#Egypt– Explosion reportedly targets foreign tourists’ bus near The Grand Egyptian Museum (north of the pyramid complex) in #Giza/#Cairo. According to initial reports, 12 people were wounded. pic.twitter.com/HGsqa1baHa
— Oded Berkowitz (@Oded121351) May 19, 2019
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Egypt’s tourism industry has shown signs of recovery of late, after the country went nearly two years without a significant incident against tourists.
However in December an explosion ripped through a tourist bus in Al-Haram area south of Cairo, which killed two and left a dozen injured, in what was the first such attack in two years.
Egypt’s tourism revenue in billions, via Trading Economics/Egyptian Ministry of Tourism:
Egyptian leaders have recently committed to making great strides to return tourism to levels before the so-called Arab Spring protests of 2011 brought general instability and the Muslim Brotherhood briefly into power, and after which mass counter-protests brought back the rule of the generals.
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