A fire flared up Wednesday evening at the site of a film festival on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, briefly threatening its cancellation before being brought under control, officials have revealed.
According to official sources, the blaze ‘damaged a small part of the main pavilion” of El Gouna Film Festival just a day before its official opening.
No fewer than fifteen people who suffered smoke inhalation were rushed to hospital for treatment, a civil defence force official disclosed
Africa Today News, New York reports that the brainchild of property mogul Samih Sawiris, one of Africa’s richest men, the festival has attracted Hollywood stars including Forest Whitaker and Owen Wilson in previous editions.
Read Also: Three Killed As Gaza-Egypt Tunnel Collapses
‘By tomorrow night everything will be ready to go,’ Sawiris said in a statement, adding that he suspected the fire had been caused by an electrical short circuit.
‘We’re all still in shock but thankfully we’re fine,’ Ola El-Shafei, one of the festival’s organisers, told reporters.
The organisers further revealed in a statement that an investigation would be launched into the cause of the fire.
The fifth edition of the festival is set to run until October 22, boasting a roster of 80 Arab and international films.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK