McKinnon Deplores Killing of Tourists

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Don McKinnon, deplores this morning's terrorist attack on tourists near Luxor in Egypt.

Mr McKinnon also extended New Zealand's condolences to the families of those killed in the attack at the temple of Hatshepsut in the Nile Valley.

"At this stage there is no indication of any New Zealand casualties," Mr McKinnon said.

"Our embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is in close contact with Egyptian authorities in Cairo and with British officials in Luxor, and we hope to have a clearer picture of the situation later today."

Mr McKinnon said New Zealanders intending to travel to Egypt, or to other parts of the Middle East where there was current unrest, should obviously take sensible precautions and remain vigilant.

"Travel is never risk free but I have every confidence the Egyptian authorities will deal with the matter effectively, especially as Luxor is one of the greatest sights in Egypt and one which continues to draw huge numbers of tourists every year."