CAIRO (AP) - The latest developments after Egyptian troops mistakenly opened fire on a group of Mexican tourists on a safari in the country’s western desert, killing eight Mexicans and wounding six. All times are local, Cairo time:
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5:05 p.m.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry says the killing of eight Mexican tourists, mistakenly slain by Egyptian forces while on a desert safari earlier this week, was a “regrettable” incident.
Shoukry, who spoke during a press conference Monday with his visiting Mexican counterpart, Claudia Ruiz Massieu, stopped short of an apology for the attack, which also wounded six Mexican tourists.
Egypt’s top diplomat expressed his “regret for the unfortunate circumstances surrounding” Riuz Massieu’s visit and reiterated the Egyptian government’s “deepest sympathy, regret and condolences to the government and people of Mexico.”
Shoukry would not provide details of the events that lead to the death of the Mexicans, only saying it would have to wait for the full details of the investigation.
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12:01 p.m.
Mexico’s foreign minister has visited wounded Mexicans in a hospital in Cairo after what she said was an “unprecedented incident” involving Mexican tourists in Egypt.
Secretary of Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz Massieu told reporters she is “happy … that they are stable … they are increasingly better.”
She also says the wounded were happy to see their families who arrived in Egypt with Ruiz Massieu, while other relatives are arriving later on Wednesday night.
The foreign minister says everyone in Mexico is “very concerned” and “very indignant about the incident.” She spoke outside Dar al-Fouad where the recovering Mexicans are being treated.
Massieu says she will meet President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi later Wednesday.
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10:45 a.m.
Mexico’s foreign minister has arrived in Egypt after Egyptian security forces mistakenly killed at least eight Mexican tourists on a desert safari.
Secretary of Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz Massieu touched down in Cairo early Wednesday morning, accompanied by several family members of the victims, according to a statement from the Mexican Foreign Ministry.
Massieu will visit survivors of the incident and also meet with Egyptian officials, “to obtain first-hand information that would clarify the circumstances of this deplorable event,” the statement said
Egyptian officials initially claimed the convoy of SUVs had wandered into an off-limits area of Egypt’s western desert. But in an open letter to the Mexican people, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said the facts of the case remain “confusing” and promised a thorough and impartial investigation.
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