Blaze hits El Gouna Film Festival site in Egypt
- Published
Organisers said only one section of the festival plaza was affected by the blaze
A fire broke out at the site of Egypt's top film festival a day before it is due to start at a Red Sea resort.
Videos posted on social media showed a blaze engulfing part of the open-air venue that hosts El Gouna Film Festival before it was extinguished.
At least eight people needed hospital treatment for smoke inhalation.
Organisers said only one section of the festival plaza was affected and that the opening ceremony would go ahead as scheduled on Thursday night.
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The festival was founded in 2017 by billionaire Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris, external and is held in El Gouna resort, which is owned by his brother Samih.
It is the most glamorous and prestigious event in Egypt's film industry and is due to showcase 80 Arab and international films until 22 October.
In a video posted on Twitter from the venue on Wednesday, Samih Sawiris assured festivalgoers that the main stage was unaffected, external.
"Tonight, everything will be back to normal. Tomorrow, people will arrive and say they only saw the fire on TV," he added.
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- Published8 April 2018
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