17 wounded in bombing of tourist bus near Egypt’s pyramids

An explosion struck a tourist bus on Sunday near Egypt’s famed pyramids, injuring 17 people including foreigners, security and medical sources said.

South Africans and Egyptians were among those injured when the explosive device went off, hitting the bus, according to the sources.

The consul at Israel’s embassy in Cairo said no Israelis were injured in the blast, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP

Egypt has battled Islamic jihadists for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilled over to the mainland, hitting minority Christians or tourists.

Illustrative: In this photo from December 12, 2012, policemen are silhouetted against the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

The attack comes as Egypt’s vital tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after years in the doldrums because of the political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.

It is the second to target foreign tourists near the famed pyramids in less than six months.