The Egyptian armed forces killed 12 Mexicans and Egyptians and injured 10 others when they accidentally attacked a convoy in a "restricted" area in the Western Desert.
Joining efforts with the Police force, the armed forces shot at four convoys mistaking them for terrorists in the area. The unfortunate incident took place in the Bahariya Oasis near Libya, an area that is deemed "off limits" to tourists because it is an active gateway to Islamists and ISIS affiliates.
The convoy, which consisted of Mexican, French and Egyptian tourists, was attacked by an Apache. Though the Egyptian government stated that they were unaware of tourists in the area, documents have been released showing that the authorities were notified of the convoy's plans. However, Egyptian officials stand by their statement and are putting the blame on the convoy's drivers for taking tourists to that area.
The attack is likely to draw stronger travel advisories, further damaging Egypt's struggling tourism industry. The downfall of the tourism industry, which is one of Egypt's main sources of foreign revenue, started in 2011 when the number of visitors decreased by over 37 percent and by the early months of 2014, the number of tourists further plummeted by more than 25 percent.
The United Kingdom, along with the U.S and other countries, issued new travel warnings to Egypt in July after the Sinai attacks that killed 21 Egyptian soldiers and 241 terrorists.
The United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office last updated its travel warning to Egypt on August 15, stating that all but essential travel to the country is advised against.
The U.S also updated its travel warning to Egypt, September and its State Department issued a message stating that American citizens in Egypt should remain vigilant to their surroundings.
Australia also recently updated its travel warnings to Egypt stating that all travel to the country, if not necessary, is advised against.