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19 dead in Egypt car explosion caused by crash

The scene outside the National Cancer Institute
The scene outside the National Cancer Institute

Nineteen people died and 30 were injured in an explosion resulting from a car crash in central Cairo, Egypt's health ministry said.

There was no official statement indicating that the explosion was an attack.

The blast happened when a car driving against traffic on Cairo's Nile corniche road collided with three other cars, the interior ministry said in a separate statement.

It triggered a blaze that forced the partial evacuation of a nearby hospital, National Cancer Institute, the health ministry said.

Shortly after the explosion, blazing cars could be seen in the roadway as passers-by struggled to help the injured.

Later in the morning, investigators scoured the scene amid a heavy police presence. The hospital building showed apparent damage up to the third floor, a Reuters witness said.

Egypt's public prosecutor is investigating the incident, sources told Reuters.