Death toll reaches 2 in blast near foreign ministry in Cairo

[DJKeefy]

A bomb exploded near the foreign ministry in downtown Cairo on Sunday morning, killing two police personnel and injuring several others.

Two lieutenant colonels were killed, and five police personnel and one civilian were injured, state television reported.

The explosion, in the Boulaq Abu El-Ela district, was reportedly caused by an improvised explosive device placed beneath a tree outside Gate 3 of the ministry, which is located near the Maspero state television building .

Police were deployed in the area and traffic was temporarily halted.

Ambulances transferred the victims to the Police Hospital in Agouza.

Boulaq Abu El-Ela is a working-class district located between two of Cairo's main downtown squares – Tahrir and Ramsis.

Sunday marks the first day of the new academic year in many schools in Cairo, with heavy traffic seen on the streets this morning.

Abu Farag Primary School is located near the accident site. State TV said numerous parents had come to collect their children from nearby schools.

Explosions have repeatedly targeted police sites and personnel over the past year, following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

In June, ahead of the 30 June protests anniversary, three explosions struck near the Ittihadiya presidential palace in the Heliopolis area of Cairo, killing two policemen.

Four explosions struck in Greater Cairo – most notably at the Cairo Security Directorate – killing six people, on the eve of the 2011 uprising anniversary.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/111277.aspx