Eleven soldiers were killed, and at least 30 others wounded, in a car bombing incident in Kharouba near Arish, North Sinai, on Wednesday morning, said a military source.
An eleventh victim died on Wednesday afternoon. Earlier reports had stated the blast claimed 10 lives.
A military source told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the initial inspection of the site of the blast showed the use of explosive TNT with large amounts, which caused the steep rise in the number of victims.
At 7:45am, a parked car exploded as a group of buses carrying infantry soldiers on their way to vacation passed by, the source explained.
Thirty-four wounded were transferred to Maadi Military Hospital in Cairo.
The number of casualties is expected to rise due to the severity of some of the injuries.
The bombing targeted the whole group of buses. However most of the victims were riding in the bus closest to the blast.
Security forces cut off all means of communication in North Sinai, including landlines, cellphone networks and internet service, right after the explosion.
Army forces, backed by a military air cover, is currently combing Arish and other areas close by, especially Kharouba, to search for suspected involvement in the attack .
Hani Salah Eddin, the Cabinet spokesperson condemned the terrorist attack, and stressed that the government is considering all alternatives available to deal with such incidents to prevent it from recurrence.
Crucial decisions will be issued within hours to face such attacks.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
