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Thomas Cook cancels Luxor excursions after suicide bomb attack
Thomas Cook has cancelled all excursions to Luxor until further notice following yesterday’s suicide bomb attack.
The operator said it was liaising with ABTA and the Foreign Office to monitor the situation but, as a precaution, has cancelled excursions to Luxor from Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh.
The attacked took place yesterday morning at the ancient Karnak temple, which is visited by millions of tourists every year.
It is believed around 600 tourists were at the site at the time, but none were injured.
Officials said three armed men tried to storm a barricade that leads to the Karnak temple site.
When police tried to stop their car, one man ran out of the car and detonated a suicide device killing himself instantly.
Police then surrounded the vehicle, killing one additional assailant inside the vehicle and wounding another.
Four other Egyptians were wounded in the incident, including bazaar shop owners and police.
The Egyptian Tourist Office said it has enhanced security measures at all its sites in response.
"We continue to take every possible measure to ensure that no harm comes to anyone visiting Egypt," it said.
A spokeswoman for Kuoni said there has been no change to its Egypt programme, but it would monitor the situation closely.
"At present there is no change to FCO advice and we have very small numbers in resort at the moment, though all are thankfully safe and well and our representative has spoken to everyone and they are continuing with their trips as planned," she said.
Monarch and Cosmos said the FCO advice does not affect the areas to which they operate.
"We will continue to take advice from the FCO and ABTA in relation to any restrictions regarding foreign travel for UK citizens and encourage all customers to adhere to the advice issued by both organisations when travelling abroad," it said.
Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Tobias Ellwood strongly condemned the attack.
"My thoughts are with those injured in this terrible attack,’ he said.
"The UK continues to stand with the Egyptian government and people in their fight against terrorist violence."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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