At least 20 people — including 4 unidentified people — were killed while 47 others were injured in an explosion in front of the National Cancer Institute in Cairo early on Monday morning, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.
Egypt’s Ministry of Interior said in a press statement on Monday, that the initial technical examination showed that the car which caused the incident was carrying explosives that detonated as a result of the collision.
“The car involved in the incident had been stolen a few months ago,” the statement added.
The statement accused the Muslim Brotherhood group affiliated Hasm Movement of rigging up the car. “The car was heading to somewhere to conduct a terrorist attack,” the statement adds.
In reaction, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi offered his condolences to the relatives of victims of the incident, stressing that the state is determined to defeat terrorism.
On Sunday, the ministry said that the explosion was caused when a car driving against the traffic collided with three other cars.
The Attorney General Nabil Sadik announced opening an investigation into the incident.
Furthermore, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health Khaled Mogahed said that the injured were transferred to Nasser Institute, Al-Muneera hospital, and Qasr Al Ainy hospital.
According to the ministry, there are four serious cases at the intensive care units in Nasser Institute Hospital, out of the 47 injured, and the rest of the injuries ranged from simple to moderate fractures, in addition to cases of burns of varying degrees.
The Ministry of Health stressed that all cases of the National Cancer Institute are safe and no deaths or injuries were recorded among the patients.
Around 54 of the National Cancer Institute patients were evacuated because of the incident, 30 of which, were transferred to Nasser Institute Hospital, and the rest were transferred to Dar Al-Salam Hospital.
The front of the hospital suffered extensive damaged, with an entrance wrecked and rubble-strewn over the pavement.
Consequently, Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly directed the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar to start the immediate maintenance of the National Cancer Institute.
Meanwhile, President of Cairo University Mohamed Othman Al-Khesht declared the state of emergency and recalled all medical staff at the institute which is affiliated to the university, Cairo University said in a statement.
