Four minutes that turned holiday paradise into hell World unites to

IT took the suicide bombers just four minutes to turn the Egyptian tourist paradise of Sharm al-Sheikh, known for its balmy temperatures, beautiful beaches and exotic coral reefs, into a scene of carnage.

The attack is believed to have been the work of a group linked to al-Qaeda, and designed to cause maximum damage. The first of three bombs ripped through the Ghazala Garden Hotel around 1am local time after a car driven by one of the bombers smashed through the front driveway and detonated, collapsing the hotel into a pile of concrete. Minutes later, a second car bomb went off in a nearby car park. A third, hidden in a sack, exploded around the same time near a beach walkway where tourists often stroll at night.

Eyewitnesses spoke of terrified European and Arab tourists, some in their nightwear, fleeing to escape the blasts and falling buildings.

The explosion turned cars into skeletons of twisted metal, blew down masonry on nearby buildings and shattered windows for hundreds of yards around. Bodies and clothing littered the ground.

Jimmy Hayes, 57, from Cumbernauld, was with his wife Ann on their second holiday in Sharma al-Sheikh.

The couple were staying at the Movenpick Hotel, adjacent to the Ghazala Garden, when the first blast went off.

"We heard a God-almighty blast, " he said. "The lock popped out of the door, the window frame banged and the glass was shattered.

"We went out of the hotel like everybody else and I heard another blast, and another and another. I thought people were shelling us . . . I thought our end had come. We were here last year. It's so nice and the people are very friendly. Now the feeling has changed. We'll be scared to come here again, after such a chilling experience."

David Stewart, from Liverpool, was staying with his wife and two teenage daughters at the Ghazala Gardens. The windows of his room smashed, he said, and he and his family ran. "Somebody shouted, 'Keep moving, '" he said. "The lights were out. I couldn't tell what was happening."

"It felt like an earthquake, " said Londoner Robert Hare. "An almighty boom and the whole hotel was covered with dust."

Yesterday, the grim task began of recovering and identifying the scores of victims who died in the country's worst terrorist atrocity. Police sources believe at least 88 people - including, it is understood, several Britons - have been killed in the bombings, and up to 200 injured.

According to Sharm hospital officials, 43 foreigners were wounded: 13 Italians, nine Britons, five Austrians, five Germans, four Spaniards, a Czech, an Israeli Arab, two Saudis, two Kuwaitis and a Qatari national.

Several hours after the attacks, a group citing ties to al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the explosion on an Islamic website. The group, the Abdullah Azzam Brigade, was one of two extremist groups that also claimed responsibility for last October's bombings at the Egyptian resorts of Taba and Ras Shitan that killed 34. The group also claimed responsibility for a Cairo bombing in late April.

Although the authenticity of the statement could not be immediately verified, experts believe the group was behind the attacks. A top Egyptian official said there are some indications the latest bombings were linked to the Taba explosions.

"We have some clues, especially about the car that was exploded in the Old Market, " said interior minister Habib al-Adli. He called it "an ugly act of terrorism".

The US, Israel and European and Middle Eastern countries condemned the attacks, and neighbouring Jordan said it was immediately tightening security at its tourist sites. The Pope also joined UN SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan in condemning the attacks.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak flew into Sharm alSheikh and went straight to the scene at the Ghazala hotel after cutting short a holiday. Heavily armed security forces guarded Mubarak as he walked past the bomb-ravaged complex and spoke with officials. In a short statement, Mubarak said:

"This will only make us more determined to pursue terrorism and dig it out by the roots . . . We will not give in to its blackmail, or seek a truce."

"Terrorism has no nationality, " Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazief said later. "This is a terrorist act and can't be explained or justified."

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw yesterday also condemned the "evil people" who carried out the attacks. He said there was no evidence the bombings were linked to the recent attacks in London, but he did not rule out the possibility they may be connected.

"It is another terrorist atrocity which has taken lives of all nationalities and of all religions, including many Muslims, " he said. "It shows the fight against this terrorism is international."

Last night it was also clear the bombs had made an immediate impact on tourism as European travellers cancelled trips to Egypt, a favourite destination of Prime Minister Tony Blair. Some already in Sharm al-Sheikh, the beach and diving resort at the centre of the carnage, left early for home. But others vowed to go ahead with their holidays, saying they could not avoid terrorism wherever they were.

Workers in the tourism industry, the country's biggest private sector employer, said it could take longer to recover than it did from the massacre of 58 foreign tourists at a temple in the southern town of Luxor in 1997.

"The strikes on Luxor affected us . . . so when it's in the heart of Sharm, God only knows what will happen, " said taxi driver Mohamed Mustafa.

"It's what we always feared, " said Eveline Bracher, a Swiss who has worked in the diving industry for 13 years. "We had the impression Sharm al-Sheikh was a secure place. But we've been proved wrong."

Italian charter planes to Sharm flew out of Rome nearly empty yesterday morning. One Air One flight from Fiumicino Airport was typical - of 150 passengers booked, only nine turned up, said airport officials.

Marilena and Gaetano, a young Sicilian couple on their honeymoon, were among dozens to arrive at Rome airports for early morning flights only to hear about the attacks.

"We're not going, " he Gaetano. "We were supposed to stay about half an hour from the attacks but I don't want to be there. What kind of atmosphere would that be for our honeymoon?" added Marilena, who declined to give her surname.

The popular tourist resort was also a favourite with the world's statesmen, who often met for summits in the place Egypt calls "the city of peace".

Last night, Jimmy and Ann Hayes were preparing to return to Scotland. "It's such a shame this has happened, " he said.

"The people are so nice here, they'll do anything for you.

They did not deserve this."

Copyright 2005 SMG Sunday Newspapers Ltd.
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