Three explosions rocked the Egyptian resort city of Dahab at the height of the tourist season Monday night, killing at least 17 people and wounding more than 150 at just one hotel, according to the doctor who runs Egypt's Sinai Peninsula rescue squad. Dr. Said Essa said he was headed to the scene of the blasts and that his casualty figures were for victims at the el-Khaleeg Hotel only. He said there were casualties from the other explosions but he had no details. Al-Jazeera television said one of the blasts hit a restaurant, and authorities said more than 20 ambulances and police cars were rushing to the el-Masbat section of the city. This is high tourist season in the region, and hotels all along the Egyptian coasts could be expected to be at near capacity. Dahab is located on the Gulf of Aqaba on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula.UPDATE DEBKA: At least 22 killed, 170 injured in three big blasts at Dahab on eastern Sinai coast Monday night. Egyptian officials reporting this claim the explosions caused by devices activated by timers – not suicide bombers.
Most tourists were Europeans on Easter break. No word of Israeli casualties. One explosion at the Gazala hotel said to have left 17 dead, 150 injured. Two other blasts struck a small supermarket and a bridge. Egyptian police seal access and exit to and from Dahab and closes the Taba border terminal. Israeli Magen David medical aid has gone on high emergency and sent ambulances with paramedics and blood supply to Taba. Israeli defense minister offers Egypt medical aid. Many private cars are helping ambulances evacuate casualties. The blasts hit the resort one day after Osama bin Laden released audiotape threatening the "crusader Zionists."
A year ago, 88 people, many of them tourists, were killed in a triple blast at Sharm el-Sheikh to the south of Dahab. Two years ago, many Israelis died in multiple al Qaeda attacks in Sinai.
DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources add: This year, Israelis joined the stream of foreign tourists to Sinai after Egypt informed Israel and the United States that its security forces had cleared the al Qaeda cells out of their sanctuaries in the central Sinai Hilal mountain range and the Bedouin tribes and the peninsula resorts were now safe. For the first time in three years, Jerusalem did not issue a warning to Israeli travelers to stay clear of Sina for the Passover holiday which ended last week.
Haaretz: Three explosions rocked Egypt's Sinai resort town of Dahab on Monday night, leaving at least 30 people dead and 160 wounded. One blast hit a hotel, a second a restaurant and the third explosion rocked the resort town's market area about 7:15 p.m. local time (1715 GMT). Egyptian authorities said the blasts were likely not caused by suicide bombers but rather bombs that had been planted. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Dr. Said Essa, head of the Egyptian rescue forces in the region, said at least 17 people were killed at the el-Khaleeg Hotel alone. An official with the local ambulance service said many of the dead appeared to be foreigners but there were no immediate reports of any Israeli casualties.
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. Magen David Adom emergency medical services said is has about 20 ambulances were standing by at the Taba border crossing between Israel and Egypt if needed. MDA offered rescue assistance to its Egyptian counterpart through the International Red Cross and the Egyptian Red Crescent but has not received a reply, the service said in a statement. Eilat's hospital is calling on people to donate blood.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz ordered the Israel Defense Forces to offer rescue and medical assistance to Egypt. There was no immediate response to the offer. The IDF moved into a higher state of alert and rescue and medical units in the Homefront Command increased their level or readiness. Channel 10 TV reported the IDF had closed the Taba crossing, preventing vehicles from entering Sinai. It said a stream of Israeli vehicles were leaving Egypt. "We don't know of Israelis" who were hurt, Israel's ambassador to Egypt, Shalom Cohen, told Channel 10, though some Israelis were known to be in Dahab. 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 a 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.
Cohen said the best thing Israeli tourists in Sinai could do now would be to "go home." Cohen said there have been repeated warnings from the Israeli government against visiting the Sinai Desert, where Israelis have been targeted in attacks in the past. "Unfortunately, the warnings came true," he said.
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-Sheikh 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.