EL-ARISH: Three Palestinians were injured when a tunnel used by smugglers collapsed on the border between Egypt and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, an Egyptian security official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday on the Rafah border and the three Palestinians were hospitalized in Egypt for respiratory problems, the official said.
The trio, aged 19, 22 and 26, managed to crawl out of the tunnel on the Egyptian side of the border, the official added.
Scores of tunnels, used by Palestinians and Egyptians to smuggle contraband into the besieged territory, have collapsed in recent months, killing more than 40 people.
Egypt insists that no weapons are smuggled through the tunnels but admits that they are used to bring in an array of other contraband supplies needed in the Israeli-blockaded coastal strip. -AFP
