German tour operator TUI Deutschland says it has canceled all excursions to Luxor for the time being, following the suicide bombing at the city's famed Karnak temple earlier in the day. The attack — the second this month at or near a major tourist attraction in Egypt — has raised concerns for the country's tourism industry.
 |
| A pool of blood and an abandoned sandal are seen at the site of a suicide bombing, near Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt, Wednesday, June 10, 2015. A suicide bomber blew himself up on Wednesday just steps away from the ancient Egyptian temple in Luxor, a southern city visited by millions of tourists every year, security and health officials said. No tourists were killed or hurt in the late morning attack. |
TUI's spokeswoman Anja Braun says further measures would depend on guidance issued by the German foreign ministry. She added that the resort Red Sea
city of Hurghada has been by far the most important destination for German TUI customers.
On Wednesday morning, a suicide bomber targeted the temple of Karnak in Luxor. Police shot dead one of two suspected militants who arrived at the scene with the suicide bomber. The second was wounded and is in police custody.
No tourists were hurt and the temple was not damaged. __ 15:00 (1300 GMT) The director of the Karnak temple in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, Mohammed Abdel-Aziz, says the ancient monument sustained no damage from the suicide bombing earlier in the day.
 |
| Blood
stains are seen on the sign for a men's bathroom, at the site of a
suicide bombing, near Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt, Wednesday, June 10,
2015. A suicide bomber blew himself up on Wednesday just steps away
from the ancient Egyptian temple in Luxor, a southern city visited by
millions of tourists every year, security and health officials said. No
tourists were killed or hurt in the late morning attack. |
Abdel-Aziz told The Associated Press that the "temple is safe and unaffected and visitors continue to arrive." Mohammed Othman, deputy director of the local association of tour operators, says four groups of foreign tourists visited the temple after the late Wednesday morning attack, in which four people were wounded.
He said it was a "wake up call" for the government to tighten security around touristic sites. The Interior Ministry, which is in charge of security, said one of the two suspected militants who arrived at the site with the bomber was captured after he was wounded.
The ministry says the second man was shot dead by police. __ 12:30 (1030 GMT) The governor of the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, Mohammed Sayed Badr, says that no tourists were hurt in the suicide bombing outside the famed Karnak temple.
He told The Associated Press over the phone that the attack was "an attempt to break into the temple of Karnak. They didn't make it in." Badr says three suspected militants carrying bags got out of a car in the temple's parking lot. Police were immediately suspicious and ordered them to stop.
No comments:
Post a Comment