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Tourists sit in front of the Abu Simbel temple, on the eve of the anniversary of Pharaoh Ramses II's coronation, at the upper reaches of the Nile in Aswan, around 1264 km (785 miles) south of Cairo February 21, 2014. A militant Islamist group has warned tourists to leave Egypt and threatened to attack any who stay after Feb. 20, raising the prospect of a new front in a fast-growing insurgency in the biggest Arab nation. The Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group, which claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed two South Korean tourists and an Egyptian on Sunday, made the statement on an affiliated Twitter account. Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

What has been claimed as a mistake by the Egyptian authorities has resulted in the death of a dozen people consisting of Mexican tourists and their tour guides. The disaster occurred while the Egyptian police were pursuing “terrorist elements” on Saturday, an Egyptian minister said.

"A joint force from the police and military, whilst chasing terrorist elements in the oasis area of the western desert tonight, accidentally engaged four four-wheel drives belonging to a Mexican tourist group," the ministry said in a statement. "The incident resulted in the death of 12 Mexicans and Egyptians and the injury of 10 others who have been transferred to hospitals."

The tourists were reportedly travelling in four four-wheeled vehicles that had entered into a restricted Wahat area of the Western Desert. The official statement issued by the concerned ministry also stated that it would investigate how and why the tourist vehicles ended up in the restricted zone. A working group has been formed to investigate the highly unfortunate incident.

Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto deplored the incident and demanded an exhaustive investigation into the occurrence. Mexican foreign ministry confirmed, through a formal statement on Sunday, that two of its nationals has been killed in the attack. It is still working on the identities of the other victims. Mexico’s ambassador in Egypt visited the Dar al-Fouad Hospital where the ones who have suffered injuries are recuperating, speaking to the five Mexicans who are in stable conditions.

According to the security officials, the tourists travelling in the four vehicles were within 45 kilometres from Bahariya oasis. The lush green oasis, which is only 370 kilometres south of Cairo, is a popular stop for tourists.

The insurgents, who the tourists have been mistaken for, refer to themselves as the “Sinai Province” of the Islamic State and is based in the Sinai Peninsula to the east. They have killed a large number of civilians and soldiers, detonated bombs and also targeted Western nationals.

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