Three coordinated explosions rocked the Egyptian resort town of Dahab on Monday during the height of the tourist season. Dahab is located on the Red Sea.
One of the three hotels that was attacked reported 18 dead and at least 90 injured with the chance that the death toll at this one hotel would rise. Local officials say the death toll of 18 was just for the el-Khaleeg Hotel and that there were definitely casualties from the other explosions.
The blasts hit just after nightfall when the streets would be full of tourists. The resort attracts mostly Europeans, Israelis and some Egyptians.
Terrorist attacks on Egyptian tourist resorts have been common in the past two years. Nearly 100 people have been killed as a result of attacks at Taba in October 2004 and Sharm el-Sheik in July 2005.
Thus far, Egyptian authorities say the attackers were local terrorists although many foreign investigators say al-Qaeda was most likely involved.
Israel has offered approximately 20 ambulances at the border to help if needed. It is not certain if any Israelis were killed or injured in the attack, but Israelis were certainly on vacation in the area.
