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Six die in Gaza smuggling tunnel explosion: doctors

Arab World Materials 29 May 2010 22:21 (UTC +04:00)
Six people were killed on Saturday when a cooking gas cylinder exploded in a smuggling tunnel under the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, doctors at Rafah hospital said, dpa reported.
Six die in Gaza smuggling tunnel explosion: doctors

Six people were killed on Saturday when a cooking gas cylinder exploded in a smuggling tunnel under the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, doctors at Rafah hospital said, dpa reported.

Witnesses said ambulances and rescue crews were called to the site, and managed to pull out two dead and three wounded, where four others were still missing.

The medics said the four were then found dead in the tunnel.

When Israel imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip after Islamic Hamas movement seized control of the enclave by force in June 2007, the Palestinians dug thousands of underground tunnels to defy the Israeli blockade.

Smugglers supply goods that Israel does not allow into the Gaza Strip such as food products, soft drinks engines, electric generators and fuels.

However, Israel claims the Palestinians are using the tunnels to smuggle weapons and ammunition to militants groups.

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