Mexican minister arrives in Egypt after 8 tourists killed
Mexico’s foreign minister arrived in Egypt Wednesday, after eight Mexican tourists were killed by security forces who apparently mistook them for terrorists.
Claudia Ruiz Massieu, who entered the country with the family members of some of the victims, met injured survivors and Egyptian officials in an effort to find out the circumstances of the incident.
Twelve people died Sunday when an airstrike hit the convoy in the Western Desert, a popular destination for safaris which features oases, white sand dunes and unique rock formations. Speaking Sunday, Massieu said the vehicles came under "an aerial attack with bombs launched from an airplane and helicopters.”
Egypt originally said the tourists were in a restricted area, but Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry later said there were conflicting reports on whether the convoy had the necessary permits and whether it took a detour into an area that was off-limits. Ten people, including six Mexicans, were injured.
In an open letter to the Mexican public due to be published in that country’s major newspapers Wednesday, Shoukry said the ”chain of events is still confusing and unclear,” adding that an “impartial inquiry” is being held.
“The Egyptian authorities are unequivocally committed to uncovering the precise details of this tragedy,” he said.
“The emerging facts indicate that an operation was taking place against terrorists in that area at the time the convoy passed. We still do not know if the convoy was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, or if some error was involved.”
Two of the dead have been identified as Luis Barajas Fernandez and Maria de Lourdes Fernandez Rubio, while a third victim is believed to be Rafael Bejarano Rangel, the BBC reported.
The broadcaster said Rangel's mother Maricela Rangel, who was injured in the incident, organized the trips from Mexico to Egypt for a decade, according to relatives.
Rafael Bejarano Rangel's nephew David Diaz Bejarano told BBC Mundo of his relatives: "They've been going to Egypt for the past 10 years and every year they go to this place once or twice."
Egypt has been battling an insurgency that has intensified since the 2013 military ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed by militants who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and have started to attack Western targets in the country.
Police convoys often accompany excursions in the Western Desert near the border with Libya, where smuggling across the porous border and terrorist activity concern the government.
Contributing: Kristen McTighe