Egypt resort suicide attacks kill 18

An Egyptian security official said eight people had already been arrested in connection with Monday's attacks, which ripped through the town at the height of the holiday season.

The bombings were the third attack against Sinai resorts in 18 months and drew condemnation from across the globe, while President Hosni Mubarak vowed to punish the perpetrators of these "heinous acts of terrorism."

Health and security officials said 12 Egyptians and six foreigners were killed, revising an earlier count of 23. A Swiss national, a Russian, a Lebanese and a five-year-old German child were among the victims.

The bombs hit the Ghazala supermarket and two restaurants in the busiest part of Dahab, bringing scenes of chaos to this popular destination for divers and backpackers whose name means gold in Arabic.

"It was like war," said Michael Hartlich, a German doctor who was holidaying in Dahab. "I'd never seen anything like it before, a child, a baby, blood everywhere, the smell of burnt skin, of burnt hair."

"A boy died in my arms, he had severe chest injuries. he was sitting in a Chinese restaurant, he was only 10," Hartlich told AFP, still in a state of shock several hours after the blasts.

Egyptian state television initially said the blasts were detonated by remote control but a security official confirmed to AFP Tuesday that suicide bombers were to blame for at least two of the explosions.

"Around 7:00 pm (1600 GMT), we heard three explosions close to the seafront alongside a supermarket in the centre of Dahab," French tourist Frederic Mingeon told AFP.