Three blasts rocked the Egyptian resort town of Dahab on Monday night, killing, according to unofficial reports, at least 30 people and wounding more than 150 others. The interior ministry put the toll at 10 killed - four foreigners and six Egyptians - and 70 wounded, three of them Israelis.
Dahab is located on the Gulf of Aqaba on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula.
One of the blasts hit the el-Kaleeg Hotel. Al-Jazeera television said another one hit a restaurant and the third explosion rocked the resort town's market area. The Interior Ministry said the explosions took place at the Nelson Restaurant, the Aladdin Cafeteria and the Ghazala Supermarket.
Body parts and debris were seen in the streets after the explosions, locals said. State television said the bombs appeared to have been activated by remote-controls. All exits from the town were sealed off by police, it added.
In recent years, the resorts of Egypt's south Sinai peninsula have been repeatedly hit by al Qaeda elements.
Reacting to the news, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak called the explosions in Dahab a "wicked terrorist act". The president stressed the need to track down those responsible for this wicked terrorist act, so that they pay the penalty by force of law," the state news agency MENA said.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas released a statement condemning the terrorist act as "cowardly and criminal."
Ehud Olmert, Israeli prime minister-designate, called Mubarak to offer his condolences. The two leaders discussed the need to work together to fight terrorism, according to Olmert's office.
President Bush stated "I strongly condemn the killings that took place." "The innocent life lost in Egypt is a heinous act against innocent civilians," Bush said.
