07.04.2011, 11:05 4803

Explosion near Egyptian pyramids, 3 injured

A small bomb exploded near Egypt's pyramids on Wednesday, injuring three people that police said were trying to open the casing of the old abandoned munition, Kazakhstan Today reports.

Almaty. April 7. Kazakhstan Today - A small bomb exploded near Egypt's pyramids on Wednesday, injuring three people that police said were trying to open the casing of the old abandoned munition, Kazakhstan Today reports.

The officials say the explosives were leftover munitions, but they couldn't provide more details about when or why the bomb was planted. They say Wednesday's explosion occurred some 500 feet (150 meters) from the pyramids outside Cairo, The HuffingtonPost reported.

The officials say the explosion was triggered by peddlers who saw metal glinting out of the sand and began hitting it with iron sticks, thinking the casing might conceal valuable goods. Three of them were seriously wounded.

It was not clear how a leftover piece of ordnance ended up in the desert near the pyramids, where no major battle has been fought since 1798, when Napoleon's army routed Egypt's Mamluk rulers in a pitched battle.

Millions of tourists visit the site annually and take camel and horseback rides around the grounds of the 4,500 year old monuments.

Egypt was the site of titanic tank battles during World War II, but these were confined to the deserts around the northern coast and the later wars with neighboring Israel were focused around the Suez Canal and the Sinai Peninsula, far to the east.

No extremist group has claimed the bomb, nor have any groups made public threats against the ancient site.

The explosion may further rattle tourists, who have largely stayed away from the country since demonstrators overthrew President Hosni Mubarak in February.

Crime and lawlessness have been on the rise in the once tightly controlled country, with police reluctant to head back to their posts.

Photo: www.huffingtonpost.com

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