Three killed and 17 injured in Cairo shopping-centre explosion and fire

UPDATED 17 AUGUST 2026, 16:00 CEST — An explosion and fire at Arabella Plaza shopping centre in New Cairo killed three people and injured 17 on Thursday, 13 August, according to Egypt’s Health Ministry, as cited by Het Nieuwsblad. Emergency crews attended the complex in the Fifth Settlement area after the blast and subsequent fire.

The ministry’s reported count remains the clearest official casualty figure available: three deaths and 17 injuries. Public information reviewed by Belgium Pulse does not establish the identities of the victims, the severity of the injuries or how many patients remain in hospital. Egyptian authorities have also not published a detailed, independently accessible account setting out the precise sequence of events.

Initial accounts circulating in Egypt linked the explosion to a pressurised cylinder inside a restaurant, but that explanation has not been confirmed in a publicly available technical or prosecutorial report. Belgium Pulse is therefore not treating the reported cause as established. There is likewise no verified evidence in the reporting reviewed that the incident was a deliberate attack. Investigators will need to examine equipment, fire-safety systems and security-camera recordings before assigning responsibility.

Arabella Plaza is a commercial and leisure complex in the Fifth Settlement, part of New Cairo’s eastern urban expansion. Banque Misr’s official branch directory places the centre in the Triangle area of the district. The location matters because restaurants and shops bring workers and visitors into close proximity, increasing the human consequences when fire or an explosion spreads through an occupied commercial space.

The disaster follows another fatal Egyptian shopping-centre fire in March. Egypt’s Health Ministry said three people died and 32 were injured after a cylinder explosion at Moria Mall in New Damietta, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm. That earlier event does not establish the cause of the Arabella Plaza blast, but it underscores the questions facing inspectors about the storage and use of pressurised cylinders in public venues.

There is no reported direct impact on Belgium and no indication that Belgian nationals were among the casualties. The Belgian relevance is limited to travellers and residents with personal or business links to Cairo, who should follow instructions from Egyptian authorities and verify access before visiting the complex. The next substantive update should come from prosecutors, civil-protection officials or the Health Ministry, particularly on the cause, the condition of the injured and whether safety breaches contributed to the deaths.