http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/485939.html
Last update - 22:41 07/10/2004
Blast at Hilton Hotel in Taba, close to Egypt-Israel border
By Amos Harel, Yoav Stern and Revital Levy-Stein, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haartetz Service
An explosion occurred at the Hilton Hotel in the Egyptian town of Taba in the Sinai Desert on Thursday evening, on the border with Israel.
There were reports of casualties in the blast, which took places at around 10 P.M. The Qatar-based satellite channel Al-Jazeera said that most of those wounded in the blast were Israelis.
A ceiling in the hotel collapsed following the blast, Army Radio said.
An Israeli witness at the Hilton said that the hotel was on fire, and that dozens of bodies were lying on the floor.
Within 45 minutes of the blast, seven of the wounded had been taken to Yoseftal Hospital in Eilat, Channel 10 television said.
In the wake of the explosion, the Israeli defense establishment amassed a large number of rescue personnel on the Egyptian border, and Israel Air Force planes were scrambled.
It is unclear what caused the explosion. Some reports suggested that the blast could have been caused by a gas cylinder.
Many Israelis have visited Egypt over the past month, during the period of Jewish holidays. Last month, the defense establishment cautioned Israelis against traveling to Sinai, following warnings of a potential terrorist attack.
This is the second hotel explosion today.
Oh boy, not another.