16 injured in metro blast

At least 16 people were injured when a “sound bomb” exploded in a Cairo metro car Thursday morning. A statement by the Health Ministry said that most injuries resulted from a stampede due to the pandemonium that followed the blast, which occurred on the Marg-Helwan line between Helmeyet Zeitoun and Hadayeq Zeitoun metro stations

The ministry confirmed that no deaths or injuries were caused by the actual bomb.  

The statement added that 8 of the injured were taken to Zeitoun Hospital, 6 were transported to Matareya Hospital and two were taken to Zeitoun Military Hospital.

According to state-owned MENA, Ahmed Abdel Hadi, an official from the metro management stated that police searched the station for any more explosive devices and collected evidence from the scene of the bombing.

Abdel Hadi added that the bomb was placed in train 108 on a luggage rack above the chairs in the second car. The blast damaged parts of the train's ceiling. The official added that due to the explosion, train movement was stopped for 6 minutes until the train was pulled to the Saray al-Qubba station. Abdel Hadi confirmed that the train is now functioning normally.

In March, one person was injured by a homemade explosive device on the Heliopolis tram. Two other homemade bombs were defused by the bomb squad that day, one of which had been planted near Marghany metro station.

The metro station is geographically close to Matareya, a district known for a big population of Muslim Brotherhood members and has witnessed increasing tension since the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi.

Two Brotherhood members were killed and three others seriously injured in July during clashes with police in the northern Cairo neighborhood of Matareya. Several protesters were detained during the clashes.

In May, one person was killed and at least 20 stores were destroyed on Youssef al-Degwy Street in Matareya after clashes erupted between members of the Muslim Brotherhood and residents of the neighborhood, following a march that started from a mosque in the neighborhood.