THREE bombings hit the Egyptian beach resort of Dahab, killing at least 24 people on streets crowded with tourists and locals enjoying a national holiday.
The early evening bombings in the Sinai seaside city blew out shop fronts along a crowded promenade of shops, restaurants and bars.
Hours after the bombings, shards of glass lay in piles along with white tiles stained with bloody footprints.
Interior Minister Habib el-Adly said those killed were 20 Egyptians and three foreigners.
More than 60 people were wounded, including two Britons.
Hospital officials in Sinai today said an Egyptian man had died of his wounds, bringing the death toll to 24.
The almost simultaneous explosions came a day after Osama bin Laden issued a call to arms to Muslims to support al Qaida in fighting what he calls a war against Islam.
The bombings - the third terror strike on a Sinai resort in less than two years - hit Dahab at 7.15pm local time when the streets were jammed with tourists strolling, shopping or looking for a restaurant or bar by the tranquil waters of the Gulf of Aqaba.
"There were just three loud bangs and people rushing around," British tourist Paul McBeath said. "Everybody is shaken."
Another witness said the Al Capone restaurant, one of the area's most popular spots, was destroyed.
"The tables and chairs have gone, there is nothing left," said Joseph Nazir, who owns a safari company in Dahab. "Everybody is panicking, a lot of people are crying. We will be affected by this for a long, long time."
Hotels were filled with foreigners and with Egyptians celebrating the long Coptic Christian Easter weekend that coincided this year with Shem al-Nessim, an ancient holiday marking the first day of spring.
The attacks came a day before Sinai Liberation Day, a national holiday.
