Egypt: Mexican Tourists’ Families Travel to Cairo

The families of the Mexican tourists who were accidentally killed by the Egyptian security forces are travelling to Egypt.

Twelve people were mistakenly killed by Egyptian army in an anti-terror operation on September 13.

Egypt says it mistook the tourists for Islamist militants, whom its forces were pursuing in the Western Desert.

The country has apologized, but has insisted the group were in a restricted area. Local sources deny the claim.

Photo AFP

Egypt has been battling Islamist militants for years, with attacks escalating since the 2013 ousting of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

Until recently most of the fighting has taken place in the Sinai Peninsula with occasional attacks taking place in Cairo and other cities.

Egyptian officials put the number of Mexicans killed at eight, but Mexico has so far only confirmed two dead.

They are Luis Barajas Fernandez and Maria de Lourdes Fernandez Rubio.

The relatives of Rafael Bejarano Rangel, another Mexican who was part of the tour group, said they had been told by tour organizers that he was among those killed.

Ten people, among them six Mexicans were also injured in the attack.

The tour group had been travelling in a convoy of four 4x4s near the Bahariya oasis, a popular tourist location. The organizers said they had stopped for a picnic when the group was attacked.

The interior ministry said an Apache helicopter targeted the tourists “by mistake”.

Egypt’s ambassador to Mexico City, Yasser Shaban, said the tourists’ 4×4 vehicles resembled those used by the militants the security forces were chasing.

According to relatives, Rafael Bejarano Rangel was the one who had been organizing the trips from Mexico to Egypt for a decade.