Reports: Egyptian hotel blast kills 23
Two smaller explosions
Thursday, October 7, 2004 Posted: 6:14 PM EDT (2214 GMT
(CNN) -- As many as 23 people died Thursday in a massive explosion at the Hilton Hotel in the resort town of Taba, Egypt, near the Israeli town of Eliat, Israeli radio reported.
Two other explosions occurred shortly afterward near Ras al Shitan, a camping area south of Taba, Israeli radio said.
"I heard one very big explosion coming from Taba direction and then, after a while, I heard two smaller explosions from Nuweiba," near Ras al Shitan, human rights activist Abdel Raziq told The Associated Press by telephone.
The causes of the blasts were not immediately clear.
Emergency services said the injured are being taken to a hospital in Eilat.
The Taba hotel offers views into Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel, and is popular among Israeli vacationers spending the weeklong Jewish holiday of Sukkot on the Red Sea.
The Israeli government had warned its citizens to stay away from Egyptian resorts due to the threat of terrorism.
The name Sukkot refers to the temporary dwellings that observant Jews live in during the holiday. These booths recall the 40-year wandering of the Israelites in the desert. Observant (and many secular) Jews build such structures at their homes to mark the holiday, decorating them with plants and produce.
Sukkot is considered a joyous holiday, a transition from the Days of Awe that began with Rosh Hashanah (the new year) and ends with Yom Kippur (the day of atonement).
CNN's Yoav Appel in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
