Hundreds of people have blocked railway movement in Giza to protest a cell phone tower in their village, security sources said.
Residents of Bamha village in Ayyat, Giza, started gathering at the railroad on Sunday to call for dismantling the tower, the sources said.
They said angry residents set fire to several parts of the railway that runs through the village. Residents believe that radio waves emitted from the tower could cause diseases.
On Sunday state-owned news agency MENA quoted Giza Governor Ali Abdel Rahman as saying that negotiations are ongoing with MobiNil, the owner of the tower, to relocate it.
He said residents have agreed to end the protest to allow the movement of trains and traffic, which was also blocked.
But on Monday Egyptian National Railways said the protest is continuing and has delayed 70 trains carrying 200,000 passengers on the Cairo-Upper Egypt line. Mohamed Hegazy, a spokesperson, said at least 240 foreign passengers canceled their reservations as a result of the delays, adding that a ticket for a foreign traveler is worth US$65.
He said the number of protesters is growing and has already reached more than 10,000.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
