A car bomb has caused a deadly blast outside Cairo’s main cancer hospital, killing at least 20 people. The car, packed with explosives, detonated near a medical centre in the capital that killed at least 20 people and wounded 47 others.
The car was being driven in the wrong direction on Sunday night (4th August) before it collided with three other vehicles, causing a major blast in front of Cairo’s main cancer hospital.
The collision is what led to the detonation. According to the interior ministry. “It is estimated that the car was being transported to a location for use in the execution of a terrorist operation.”
It is believed that the ‘Hasm’ terrorist group was responsible for setting up the car, but it is so far unclear whether the attack was meant to happen elsewhere or whether the explosives were only being transported to be used for a future attack.
Egypt’s government has officially accused Hasm, an extremist organisation which emerged in 2016. Hasm has claimed several attacks since that time. They are believed to be an offshoot of the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Hasm denies this and says it seeks change through peaceful means only.
In a statement shared on social media, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi called the explosion a “terrorist” incident.
“I extend my deepest condolences to the Egyptian people and the families of the martyrs killed in the cowardly terrorist incident … last night,” The full post can be found on el-Sisi’s official Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Timothy Kaldas, a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, said it was unlikely that Egyptian authorities had enough information at this point to conclude that Hasm was responsible.
“It’s very possible that this could have been a different group.”
According to the Health Ministry, the fire and destruction from the explosion required the partial evacuation of the National Cancer Institute, with 78 patients subsequently transferred to other hospitals. According to Egypt Today news agency, all of the wounded were in a stable condition except for three who were taken in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Health ministry representative, Khaled Megahed, said, at a press conference on Monday, that some patients in the ICU suffered “several burns of varying degrees”.
