An air raid by Egyptian authorities using Apache helicopters killed at least 12 tourists and left many others injured after claim security forces mistook the tour vehicles for Islamic terrorists.
As many as eight Mexicans appear to be among those dead tourists. But authorities confirmed the deaths of two Mexican citizens thus far.
The air attack took place on Sunday at the Wahat Area of the Wester Dessert when the group of tourists riding in four vehicles entered a restricted area. Egyptian authorities confused them for Islamic terrorists, BBC reported.
In recent years, Egypt has been dealing with ISIS activity in various areas where cells have been carrying out terrorists attacks.
According to BBC, Egyptian forces had been searching for a terrorist group in the nearby area when they spotted the four vehicles that the tourists had been using and opened fire on them with the military helicopters.
Mexico’s Foreign Relations Secretariat (SRE) has confirmed to Breitbart Texas that two of the 12 deceased tourists have been identified as Mexican citizens.
“It is with indignation and great sadness that we confirm the passing of two persons” SRE confirmed in a written statement in Spanish obtained by Breitbart Texas. “Six Mexicans at the hospital are reported as stable and individually narrated having suffered an air attack.”
However, the BBC relied on unnamed sources to claim that the actual death toll for the Mexican tourists who were slain in the gunfire reaches eight.
Egyptian authorities claim that the shooting happened at an area that is off-limits to tourists. However, BBC claims that the tourists were not in a restricted area and were attacked while having stopped for a meal break.
The Mexican government has sent SRE officials to the Dar-el-Fouad Hospital in a Cairo suburb to check on the injured Mexican nationals and to help ensure they get the needed care.
Mexico’s Ambassador to Egypt Jose Alvarez Fuentes has visited five Mexican citizens injured in the attack and listed them in stable condition.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.
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