(Eds: Updating toll)By Youssra El-SharkawyCairo, Nov 24 (PTI) At least 155 worshippers were killedand 120 others injured when militants struck a mosque duringFriday prayers in Egypt's restive North Sinai region, in thedeadliest terror attack in the country.
Miliatants launched a targeted bomb and gun attack on theal-Rowda mosque in Al-Arish city during the Friday prayers,the state-run MENA news agency reported.
After the bomb ripped through the mosque, the gunmen onfour off-road vehicles opened fire on the worshippers whotried to escape from the site after the explosion, it said.
About 50 ambulances were rushed to the attack site toshift the injured to hospitals.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack sofar.
The Egypt government has announced three days ofmourning, even as President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi chaired anemergency meeting with officials to review security situationafter the deadly attack.
Egypt's North Sinai region has witnessed many violentattacks by militants since the January 2011 revolution thattoppled former president Hosni Mubarak.
The attacks targeting police and military increased afterthe ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 bymilitary following massive protests against his rule.
Over 700 security personnel have been reported killedsince then.
The military has launched security campaigns in the area,arrested suspects and demolished houses that belonged toterrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading tothe Gaza Strip.
Egypt has witnessed a series of terror attacks this yearclaiming scores of lives.
On May 26, gunmen attacked a bus carrying CopticChristians in central Egypt, killing at least 28 people andwounding 25 others.
On April 9, two suicide bombings at Palm Sunday servicesat churches in the northern cities of Alexandria and Tantaleft 46 people dead. PTI YES AMS KIS AKJKIS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.