Egyptian probe to blame travel agency for deaths of Mexican tourists

An Egyptian probe into an erroneous military attack that killed eight Mexican tourists and four Egyptians has criticised the travel agency for taking the group to a dangerous area, Mexico's top diplomat has said. 

The tourists and their guides were killed when they came under fire from the air by Egyptian security forces last September during a lunch break on their way to the Bahariya Oasis in the vast Western Desert. Another 10 people were wounded.

Survivors say the attack was staged by a plane and a helicopter, prompting Cairo to open an investigation. 

Speaking late on Wednesday, Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu said the Egyptian tourism ministry "found that the administrative authorities and the travel agency should have had more clarity on the permit, and in that sense would eventually be responsible".

She said Egypt had informed the Mexican government that the investigation was "nearing completion," suggesting that the probe could exonerate the army and air force for their role in the deaths.

So far, the Egyptian government has remained tight-lipped about the deadly event that outraged Mexico, saying only that the tourists had entered a restricted area in the Western Desert and were "mistakenly" killed as security forces chased Islamist militants.

Cairo has promised a full and "transparent" inquiry, although media in Egypt have been banned from publishing any details on the incident or the investigation.

The ban was implemented days after the attack, and forbade all media outlets from publishing anything but the General Prosecutor’s statements about the events.

However, harrowing accounts by survivors made their way into the foreign press, describing them being hit from the air in five separate strikes.