Egypt, world seek answers

SHARM EL SHEIK, Egypt — The death toll from predawn blasts here climbed to at least 88 Saturday as dazed emergency crews combed the wreckage for victims in the brazen attack on a seaside resort well-known for its thick presence of intelligence and security agents.

Two shadowy organizations, including one that professes to be linked to al-Qaida, gave competing claims of responsibility for the three large explosions that echoed in quick succession over the Red Sea coast. The blasts gutted a luxury hotel, devastated a shopping center and left a popular taxi stand slick with the blood of tourists. At least 119 people were wounded.

Launched on the anniversary of the 1952 revolution that overthrew the Egyptian monarchy, it was one of the deadliest terror strikes ever experienced by this often-bloodied country. Condemnations poured in from dignitaries around the world.

The Interior Ministry indicated that most of the dead were Egyptians, but Britons, Dutch, Kuwaitis, Qataris, Saudis, Czechs, Germans and Italians reportedly also were killed in the blasts. It could be some time before all the victims are known — dozens of bodies reportedly were charred beyond recognition.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak flew here Saturday to inspect the damage and visit victims in the hospital. Later, he grimly vowed to hunt down the bombers who had penetrated his prize tourist haven and exposed a weak spot in Egypt's powerful intelligence services.

Mubarak owns a villa in Sharm el Sheik, and the city has served as a showcase for Egypt's Middle East peacekeeping efforts during innumerable international summits.

"This cowardly, criminal act is aimed at undermining Egypt's security and stability and harming its people and its guests," Mubarak said in televised remarks. "This will only increase our determination in chasing terrorism."

The blow is particularly keen for Mubarak, who is expected to nominate himself this month to run in Egypt's first presidential election. At a time when Mubarak is striving to remind Egyptians of his military prowess and steady — if autocratic — hand, the explosions hint that the country has slipped into a state of low-level battle.

When the attacks began, the tourists who haunt the lively, gaudy shorelines of the Sinai Peninsula were still smoking water pipes under the stars, tossing back beers and shopping for bottled water and postcards at late-night convenience stores.

Not long after 1 a.m., two powerful car bombs tore through the summer night. The first rocked the Old Market, a knot of strip malls adorned with Roman arches and flush with souvenir shops. The blast tore through a patch of pavement where microbuses load up for trips, and the damage was flung in a wide arc.