Two die in explosion near bank in Mahala; 16 injured

Ahram Online , Saturday 7 Mar 2015

The health ministry said a police conscript died following the early morning blast raising the number of fatalities to two

Mahalla
The explosion left at least two cars damaged in Mahalla, Gharbiya, Egypt, March 7, 2015 (Photo: Al Ahram)

A policeman and an army conscript were killed in the early hours of Saturday when an explosive device detonated in the central Delta's city of Mahalla.

The policeman had been on guard duty outside Emirates NBD bank near the site of the explosion. He died immediately on the scene.

The other victim, a 25-year-old conscript, was accidentally passing through the site of the explosion. He succumbed to his injuries a few hours later, Health Ministry deputy in Gharbiya Mohamed Sharshar told MENA.

The explosion, which took place on Shokry Al-Qawatly Street, left 16 others injured, according to the ministry of health.

The injuries ranged from burns to bruises and leg amputation.

The ministry of health had earlier said that four of the injured were in a critical condition.

Egypt has been facing a decade-long Islamist insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula, which spiked after the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

Militants have repeatedly attacked police and army sites and personnel in Sinai as well as other parts of the country, leaving hundreds dead and injured.

In recent months, militants have increasingly attacked economic targets in urban areas, such as electricity pylons and mobile-network stores.

Civilians have often fallen victim during various violent attacks.

A blast in front of Cairo’s High Court on Monday left two civilians killed and nine others, mostly policemen, injured.

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