Egypt state media says blast near Cairo airport injures 12

Egypt's state-run news agency says a blast at a chemical factory near Cairo's main airport injured at least a dozen people.

MENA early today quoted an unnamed Interior Ministry official as saying firefighters had contained the fire caused by the blast late Thursday in a storage facility.

There were no reports of deaths. The official said the wounded were hospitalised for treatment.

Images circulated online showed huge flames and thick smoke billowing up into the sky.

Army spokesman Tamer al-Rifai said the explosion was the result of the "high temperature."

Temperatures in Cairo have reached into the high 90s, low 100 degrees Fahrenheit in recent days, not unusual for Cairo in the summer.

 

The Civil Aviation Ministry said the explosion happened outside the airport's perimeter and air traffic was undisrupted.