IDF Radio: evidence suggests terror attack with suicide terrorist in carbomb blowing up next to gas canisters.
Eastern part of Hotel up in flames and has collapsed.
Israeli on phone says Egypt doing almost nothing to rescue people.
Egypt not allowing Israelis to leave, because passports are still in hotel that was hit.
Dozens of casualties.
Blast Rocks Taba Hotel On Egyption/Israeli Border
22:55 Oct 07, '04 / 22 Tishrei 5765
IDF helicopters are waiting at the Israeli border to evacuate the wounded and MDA has been mobilizing to treat the many wounded in the blast.
According to a Reshet Bet News Radio report, interviewing an Israeli present outside the Taba Hilton, the damage from the blast is significant, adding the situation is one of general panic and hysteria. Many Israelis are reported in the hotel area, and there is a power outage, further hampering rescue efforts.
Reports indicate that Israeli rescue personnel were not permitted to cross into Egypt at first to care for the dozens of wounded. Several lightly injured hotel guests made their way to the Israeli border by foot and were evacuated to Eilat's Yoseftal hospital.
Despite several warnings to refrain from vacationing in Egypt, Israelis have flocked to hotels in Sinai during the past month's holidays.
More info:
Explosion at Casino area.
Israel wants to help evacuate injured, Egypt refusing.
So far only 3 Israeli ambulances allowed to treat people.
Egypt having trouble at responding to the incident.
Injured evacuated to border and then allowed to be tranfered to Israeli hands, sent to Eilat hospital.
Mubarak has talked to Sharon on phone - Channel 1
At least a dozen Israelis injured already evacuated.
One must remember there was terror warning for Israelis traveling to Egypt a few weeks ago.
What do you think.....will the Israelis go in and seize the hotel and rescue their injured people?
Sounds like Egypt is being oooooh so helpful in rescuing and rendering assistance to the injured Israelis.
also from Haaretz:
Last Update: 07/10/2004 23:12
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 ripped at the Hilton Hotel in the Egyptian town of Taba in the Sinai Desert on Thursday evening, close to the border with Israel, causing many injuries.
Israeli security sources said there was growing conviction that the explosion was caused by a terrorist attack, although the actual cause was not immediately clear.
The explosion, which took place in the lobby of the hotel at around 10 P.M., caused the ceiling of the lobby to collapse.
A fire then broke out at the hotel, and hotel guests on the upper floors were evacuated via the emergency exits. The western part of the hotel later caved in as well.
The Qatar-based satellite channel Al-Jazeera said that most of those wounded in the blast were Israelis.
An Israeli witness at the Hilton said that the hotel was on fire, and that dozens of bodies were lying on the floor.
"I heard a huge explosion. The wall near me collapsed and people began to run. There were many casualties... The explosion was outside. When we went out we saw the shops and the internal wall of the hotel had collapsed," the witness, called Yigal, told Army Radio.
"Some people it was a gas canister explosion and others said it was a terrorist attack. There are a lot of people [lying on the ground]. There is a lot of blood, a lot of screaming," he added.
"The whole front of the hotel has collapsed," he said. "I am standing outside of the hotel, the whole thing is burning and they have nothing to put it out with. There is nothing here."
Within 45 minutes of the blast, seven of the wounded had been taken to Yoseftal Hospital in Eilat, Channel 10 television said. Five of the wounded were in light condition and two had sustained moderate injuries.
In the wake of the explosion, Israel amassed a large number of rescue personnel on the Egyptian border, and Israel Air Force planes were scrambled.
Egypt closed the border with Israel, preventing Israeli rescue personnel from crossing, but re-opened it a short time later, allowing Israeli rescue workers to cross.
Israeli medics said they had been informed of "a large number of casualties."
The blast could be heard strongly about two kilometers from the hotel, said Selma Abu el-Dahab, who works at another Taba hotel. She said a worker from her hotel returned from the Hilton and told of the explosion before collapsing.
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.