P4Z-0hy22ZRyqh5IUeLwjcY3L_M

P4Z-0hy22ZRyqh5IUeLwjcY3L_M
MEAN STREETS MEDIA

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Egypt Confirms Death of 8 Mexicans in Security Force Attack



CAIRO - The Egyptian Ministry of Interior confirmed on Tuesday that eight Mexicans were killed in the accidental attack by the security forces on Sunday in the oasis area of the western desert, when a total of 12 people were killed.

Egyptian interior spokesman Ayman Helmy told EFE that the 12 victims included eight Mexican tourists and four Egyptians, while the nine wounded included seven Mexicans.

The injured were admitted to Dar al-Fouad hospital, on the outskirts of Cairo where their condition is currently stable and they are out of danger, according to Egyptian interior spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid and a hospital official.

Egypt's General Tourist Guide Syndicate said on Monday that the death toll among the Mexican group was eight victims, which has now been confirmed by the Mexican government.

Sources close to the victims told EFE that two of the Mexican casualties died of their injuries while being transferred from the oasis area to Cairo.

The victims were on a tourist trip that was accidently attacked by Egyptian security forces during an anti-terror operation, when their convoy was mistaken for a terrorist group.

The Egyptian interior ministry claimed that the tourists were attacked by mistake after they entered a restricted area, while the travel company responsible for the organization of the trip revealed that it had actually obtained the necessary permission from the tourism police.

The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as Egypt's General Tourist Guide Syndicate stated that the convoy was attacked by a military helicopter according to statements by survivors.

Mexico's Foreign Relations Secretary Claudia Ruiz Massieu is expected to arrive in Cairo, along with seven members of the victims' families, to meet with Egyptian authorities for clarification regarding the circumstances of the incident and to provide support to the wounded. 

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