Tourist bus hit by bomb near Pyramids

A roadside bomb has hit a tourist bus near the Giza Pyramids, Egyptian officials have said.

The blast yesterday wounded at least 17 people, including tourists. The officials said the bus was travelling on a road close to the Grand Egyptian Museum, under construction next to the Giza Pyramids.

The bus was carrying at least 25 people, mostly from South Africa. Security forces cordoned off the site and the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital.

In a statement issued by the antiquities ministry, At if Moftah, general sup er visor of the Grand Egyptian Museum, confirmed the explosion had not caused any damage to the site.

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Egypt has battled Islamic militants for years.

The attack is the second to target foreign tourists near the pyramids in less than six months. In December, three people died after a bus carrying 15 Vietnamese tourists was hit by a bomb.