Military

DATE=10/8/2004

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-319511

TITLE=ISRAEL EXPLOSION (L)

BYLINE=LARRY JAMES

DATELINE=JERUSALEM

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

HEADLINE: More Than 20 Dead in Egyptian Hotel Blast Near

Israeli Border

INTRO: Three explosions have ripped through popular Red

Sea resorts in the Egyptian Sinai late Thursday killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens more. VOA's Larry James has

the latest in this report from Jerusalem that Israeli

security officials say there is growing evidence that

the blasts were the result of a terror attack.

TEXT: The first explosion was at the Hilton hotel in

Taba, Egypt. It caused major damage to the front of the

building causing at least 10 floors of the high rise

building to collapse and leaving dozens of casualties on

the floor of the hotel lobby. Many others are believed

to be trapped in the rubble.

The hotel is only meters from the Israeli border and the

nearby town of Eilat. Egyptian authorities initially

closed the border but later opened it to allow Israeli

ambulances and evacuation helicopters to cross to come

to the aid of the wounded.

Taba is a small resort town with little in the way of

emergency services. By contrast, nearby Eilat, Israel is

a much larger city with several hospitals and clinics.

Initial reports suggested that the Taba blast could have

been the result of a gas explosion but Israel security

officials later said they believed it was the result of

a car bomb. Many of the casualties were Israelis.

Taba is the main crossing point to Egypt and is often

crowded with Israelis traveling to the Egyptian Red Sea

resorts.

The Taba blast was followed a short time later by two

explosions at resorts near Nuweiba some 100 kilometers

to the south where Israelis frequently vacation in

inexpensive camp grounds.

Thursday was the last day of the Jewish festival of

Sukhot and large numbers of Israeli tourists have been

returning home from vacations at the end of the holiday.

Israel issued a warning in early September against

travel by Israelis to the area citing what the warning

termed a concrete threat to Israelis.

NEB/LDJ/PT