More of the same

July 22, 2005 4:20 PM

Explosions rock Sharm el-Sheik Apparently the Ghazala Gardens hotel was heavily damaged in what appears to be a bomb attack, closely following 2 other bomb explosions in the well-know tourist city.
posted by elpapacito (37 comments total)

What nationality is the majority of tourists to this venue?
posted by Rothko at 4:24 PM on July 22, 2005

Rothko: as far as I know they come from all over the world for the excellent sea and scuba diving opportunities.
posted by elpapacito at 4:29 PM on July 22, 2005

But remember, war in Iraq and Afghanistan is making the world safer from terrorist attacks!
posted by Kickstart70 at 4:31 PM on July 22, 2005

Thanks, elpapacito.
posted by Rothko at 4:32 PM on July 22, 2005

This is also a popular destination for Israelis.
posted by ori at 4:35 PM on July 22, 2005

If there's a world left when this is all over, I'd like to buy you a beer.
posted by fire&wings at 4:36 PM on July 22, 2005

20 dead and over 100 wounded, according to AP.
posted by ori at 4:37 PM on July 22, 2005

Sharm is not usually so crowded with Israelis compared to the closer spots of Taba and Ras Shatan. Sharm is usually packed with Saudis, Italians, French, and other Euros...
posted by chaz at 4:40 PM on July 22, 2005

Another example of the Coalition of the more easily Bomb-able?
posted by fenriq at 4:40 PM on July 22, 2005

map of sinai. sharm ash-sheikh (spelling variants abound) in the bottom-center, on the lower tip of the peninsula, along the eastern coast.
posted by ori at 4:41 PM on July 22, 2005

Another example of the Coalition of the more easily Bomb-able?

Egypt is part of the Iraqi war coalition? News to me.
posted by ori at 4:42 PM on July 22, 2005

But remember, war in Iraq and Afghanistan is making the world safer from terrorist attacks!

How is either related to the explosion in Sharm el-Sheik? / Why is that a symbolic area to protest the war? (serious question)
posted by dhoyt at 4:49 PM on July 22, 2005

But remember, war in Iraq and Afghanistan is making the world safer from terrorist attacks!

Jesus Christ. That's just fucking idiotic.
posted by billysumday at 4:54 PM on July 22, 2005

Speaking of tourist resort bombings, in Turkey this week 5 were killed and 12 injured after a female suicide bomber detonated on a minibus.
posted by dhoyt at 4:54 PM on July 22, 2005

Wikipedia on Sharm
posted by elpapacito at 4:56 PM on July 22, 2005

ori, woops, you're right, Egypt isn't taking part. My bad.
posted by fenriq at 5:02 PM on July 22, 2005

dhoyt, I think its a reference to not having to fight the terrorists in the US. Which is what I was trying to do as well but screwed up my facts.
posted by fenriq at 5:04 PM on July 22, 2005

That Turkey bombing is actually pretty disturbing, because that's a place I really want to go to on vacation, and they seemed to be targeting tourists.
posted by smackfu at 5:08 PM on July 22, 2005

That Turkey bombing is actually pretty disturbing, because that's a place I really want to go to on vacation, and they seemed to be targeting tourists.

It always has to be about you, doesn't it.
posted by tkchrist at 5:47 PM on July 22, 2005

A rising death toll, via Reuters:
Forty-three people were killed in up to seven explosions in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday, a rescue official said.

The wounded numbered at least 136, many of them Egyptian workers who had gathered at a cafe in the old market, said the official, who asked not to be named.

The official said 17 of the dead were burned beyond recognition by the explosions, apparently caused by car bombs planted near hotels and bazaars frequented by tourists.

Up to seven explosions?
posted by dhoyt at 6:48 PM on July 22, 2005

Everytime I see a headline like that recently, I think to myself 'huh. didn't they just have a bombing there yesterday. maybe it's an old headline'. Obviously it isn't in this case, but it sure is shocking how much coordinated simultaneous multiple bombings has become the norm as of late.
posted by Arch Stanton at 8:56 PM on July 22, 2005

45 dead and 200 hurt, acc to AP. 49 dead, says Reuters.
posted by mr.marx at 9:12 PM on July 22, 2005

Dear The World,

Hey - why not have a day where nobody gets blown up? Would that be okay with you? I mean, just if you feel okay with that. I just thought it might be nice, or something.

cheers,

Me
posted by flashboy at 9:33 PM on July 22, 2005

dhoyt spake: Speaking of tourist resort bombings, in Turkey this week 5 were killed and 12 injured after a female suicide bomber detonated on a minibus.

Yeah, what's up with that? I keep hearing that the bombings in Turkey have been Kurdish terrorism. Is that right?
posted by hackly_fracture at 10:18 PM on July 22, 2005

Sharm el-Sheik is about a mile away from the South Camp of the MFO, which has a brigade or so of U.S. soldiers. I suspect that had more to do with its selection as a target than anything else. The Multinational Force and Observers are there to enforce the Camp David Accords and subsequent Egypt-Israel peace treaty; naturally your more radical Arabs are displeased with those.

The tourists there are a mixed bag, with Middle Easterners, Europeans (Scandinavian, Continental, British), Australians, etc. Israelis occasionally go there, but I doubt it's popular with them now given the current situation. The point is, if you attack the tourists at Sharm el-Sheik you're going to kill a grab bag of nationalities. It makes even less sense than these things usually do.
posted by Nahum Tate at 12:08 AM on July 23, 2005

Some facts about Egypt's tourism industry: (via)

* Tourism is Egypt's biggest private sector employer and took years to recover from the 1997 attack on Luxor which killed 58 tourists, but the industry proved resilient after bombings in the Sinai peninsula last October that left 34 dead.

* Egypt's $6.6 billion tourism industry is based on Red Sea resorts like Sharm el-Sheikh and on its pharaonic ruins and is a major source of revenues and employment.

* Egypt received a record 8.1 million visitors in 2004. Tourist numbers grew in the first three months of 2005 compared to a year ago. Some analysts say Egypt attracted extra visitors this year after many avoided tsunami-hit Asia.
posted by Ljubljana at 1:12 AM on July 23, 2005

That Turkey bombing is actually pretty disturbing, because that's a place I really want to go to on vacation, and they seemed to be targeting tourists.

Just go. Given the hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit Turkey every year, you'd have to be pretty unlucky to get caught up in it. Also, those bombs went off on one of the beach resorts, which may or may not be what you're interested in. I've been to Istanbul on holiday, and had a great time. It's a wonderful city.

I go to Cairo every year for Christmas, and I'm still planning to go this year, bombs or no bombs.
posted by Mutant at 1:20 AM on July 23, 2005

Thanks, elpapacito.

.
posted by nthdegx at 2:55 AM on July 23, 2005

Previous MeFi thread (from yours truly) from October 7, 2004, regarding the the Hilton hotel bombing in Taba, Egypt and the growth in attacks on Egyptian tourist locations since 1990: Terrorists strike tourists in Egypt...again
posted by Asparagirl at 2:59 AM on July 23, 2005

Death toll reaches 65.
posted by nthdegx at 3:00 AM on July 23, 2005

Maybe if some of you guys got the numbers to call in egypt to report missing relatives / friends it would be useful to post them..I'm looking around the web but I found none so far.
posted by elpapacito at 6:29 AM on July 23, 2005

.
posted by Edible Energy at 8:07 AM on July 23, 2005

Elpapacito this story has a few phone numbers for tour operators. In case they pull the link, the one # is 044 283 39 99. The Swiss foreign ministry's hotline for individual travellers is 031 324 98 08. I suppose this is more for Swiss nationals, but it's a start.
posted by placebo_addict at 8:47 AM on July 23, 2005

elpapacito: I haven't found any one unified list, but the number set up by the UK's Foreign Office is [phone], while Israel's Foreign Ministry is 02-530-3155. Both are intended for their respective nationals. The US government doesn't seem to have a specific crisis centre, but you could call the State Department's Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747, or from overseas: 202-501-4444.
posted by kickingtheground at 9:19 AM on July 23, 2005

Egyptian resort attack kills at least 88 (reg. required)

According to the article, A top Egyptian official said there are some indications the latest bombings were linked to last fall’s Taba explosions.

There seem to be conflicting claims of responsibility. Although, at this point, my condolences to the families involved. Those responsible for the attacks can rot in hell.
posted by purephase at 11:05 AM on July 23, 2005

What nationality is the majority of tourists to this venue?

As someone else said, many Europeans, including many Britons. As there are many Britons who visit Turkey.This is a bad few weeks for Britain and terrorism.
posted by plep at 11:12 AM on July 23, 2005

In my experience, (I live in Egypt, though I am safely in Algeria (!) at the moment), the majority of Sinai tourists are Israelis...they are indeed more numerous in the north: Taba, Dahab, etc., but there are a heck of a lot of them in Sharm too. Need I mention the irony given that Israel tried to conquer and colonize the Sinai not long ago?

Nahum Tate: the idea that the US military base was a target in these attacks is absurd, as you would immediately realize if you'd been to Sharm. The US troops are 1) not a visible presence in town
and 2) isolated from the sites of the attacks.

I was at the cafe full of Egytians which was car bombed(or maybe the one next door) last month. At any rate the nice guys who served me lemonade may well be dead.

The people I talked to in Sharm often had a troublingly negative views of the tourists they served. But they certainly didn't want to murder them either. The tourists are, after all, the source of their daily bread.
posted by jackbrown at 2:57 PM on July 23, 2005