One French woman tourist has been killed and 24 others injured in a deadly explosion in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Sunday evening, Egyptian Health Ministry said Monday.
The injured include 17 French tourists, one German, three Saudis and three Egyptians, the official MENA news agency reported, citing a Health Ministry statement.
Nineteen of the wounded have left hospitals after medical treatment and five others are still in hospitals for further observation, the statement added.
The French woman died in hospital of wounds sustained in the explosion, which happened on a small square between the al-Hussein mosque and the Khan al-Khalili bazaar, a tourist attraction, at 6: 50 p.m. local time (1650 GMT) on Sunday.
According to Egyptian Attorney General Abdel-Hegid Mahmoud, who has inspected the scene, the body of the French woman would be handed over to the French Embassy in Cairo.
Police have cordoned off the scene of explosion and investigation is under way.
Earlier reports said some three suspects have been arrested for involvement in the bombing, but no official source can be available at the moment to confirm that.
Local Nile TV quoted witnesses as saying the explosion occurred after two suspects, hiding in a nearby building, threw two bombs at the crowd. One bomb went off at the scene and another was defused by police.
But the state MENA news agency quoted a security source as saying that the explosive might be hidden under a stone bench in the area.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was highly concerned about the conditions of the victims and has ordered prompt treatment for the wounded, the news service added.
Attacks against foreign tourists frequently haunted Egypt, where tourism is the prime earner of foreign money and contributes to 8.5 percent of GDP.
In April 2005, two French tourists were killed and 18 others wounded in a suicide attack in the same area.
On April 24, 2006, three bomb blasts in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Dahab killed at least 23 people and wounded scores of others.
On July 23, 2005, two car bombs and a suitcase bomb struck hotels and shopping areas in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing at least 64 and wounding more than 200, including some foreigners.