Three Vietnamese, Egyptian killed in bomb attack

Three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed and at least 10 others injured when a roadside bomb blast hit their tour bus on Friday less than 4 km (2.5 miles) from Egypt’s world-famous Giza pyramids, authorities said.

A bomb hidden beside a wall went off as the bus carrying 14 Vietnamese tourists was passing.

Two people were critically wounded, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said.

The bus hit the device after it went off its planned route without alerting security forces, Madbouly added.

All of the injured are Vietnamese tourists apart from the bus driver, who is Egyptian.

The bombing is the first deadly attack against foreign tourists in Egypt for over a year and comes as the tourism sector, a vital source of foreign currency revenue, recovers from a sharp drop in visitor numbers since the country’s 2011 uprising.

No immediate claim of responsibility was reported.

Islamist extremists, including militants linked to Islamic State, are active in Egypt and have targeted foreign visitors in the past.

Security is already tight in Egypt, with the tourist season at its height and the country's main Christian minority, the Copts, preparing to celebrate Orthodox Christmas on 7 January.

The tourists were heading to a sound and light show at the pyramids, which they had visited earlier in the day, said Lan Le, 41, who was also aboard the bus but unhurt.

The bomb went off at about 18:15 (16:45 GMT) on Maryoutiya Street in Giza's Haram district, the interior ministry says.

Security forces rushed to the scene in response and police are investigating.

"We have been in contact with the embassy of Vietnam to contain the impact of the incident, and what is important now is to take care of the injured," Prime Minister Madbouly was quoted as saying.

Tourism is a mainstay of the economy. It peaked in 2010, when the country saw more than 14 million visitors, but fell sharply after the turmoil of the Arab Spring the following year.

Worse was to come after militants bombed a Russian passenger jet in 2015 as it left Sharm el-Sheikh, killing 224 people.

The following year just 5.3 million tourists visited, according to the World Bank.

However, the sector has since recovered and 8.3 million people visited in 2017, the Financial Times reports.