Twenty-three people were killed by an explosion that tore through a hotel in the Egypt/Israel border town of Taba tonight after a suspected car-bomb attack.
Senior Israeli security sources believe the explosion was "a terrorist attack". "We are not absolutely sure, but this is what it looks like," said one source, while another said there was reason to believe it was a car-bomb attack.
The huge blast tore through the hotel which is often used by Israelis on the border resort of Taba.
Israeli media said part of the Hilton hotel had collapsed and medics who rushed to the Red Sea town said there were dozens of wounded.
"I heard a huge explosion. The wall near me collapsed and people began to run. There were many casualties," one Israeli witness called Yigal told Israel's Army Radio.
"The explosion was outside. When we went out we saw the shops and the internal wall of the hotel had collapsed.
"Some people said it was a gas canister explosion and others said it was a terrorist attack. There is a lot of blood, a lot of screaming."
Israeli security forces had warned Israeli travellers against visiting Egyptian resorts on the Red Sea, saying they might be targeted by Palestinian bombers or other Islamic militants.
Thousands of Israelis have travelled to Egypt 's Sinai peninsula, a popular holiday destination, during the Sukkot holiday. Witnesses said there were also many Russians at the hotel.
"The hotel is on fire on the eastern side, the entry point, the lobby. People are trying to get out," a reporter for Israel Radio said from the scene.
Agencies