Egypt: Gunmen attack bus with Christians; 24 killed, 25 wounded

Cairo: Gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians south of the Egyptian capital on Friday, killing 24 people and wounding 25, officials said.

The attack happened while the bus was traveling on the road to the St. Samuel Monastery in the Minya governorate, about 220 kilometers (140 miles) south of Cairo, the health ministry said.

The ministry said there were between eight and 10 attackers dressed in military uniforms, according to witnesses.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack,



which came on the eve of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. Egypt has been fighting Islamic State group-linked militants who have waged an insurgency, mainly focused in the volatile north of the Sinai Peninsula but there have been also attacks on the mainland.

Egypt has seen a wave of attacks on its Christians, including twin suicide bombings in April and another attack in December on a Cairo church that left over 75 people dead and scores wounded. The Islamic State group in Egypt claimed responsibility for them and vowed more attacks.