International

Deadly explosion rocks police station in Egyptian city of Mansoura

The explosion took place at Dakhalya security headquarters in the country's Nile Delta

December 23, 2013 7:45PM ET Updated 10:58PM ET

The explosion caused parts of the five-floor Dakhalya security headquarters to collapse.

Mahmoud Khaled/AFP/Getty Images

At least 14 people have been killed and 120 others injured after a car bomb exploded at a police building in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, Egypt's Ministry of Interior said.

The explosion took place at 1:10 a.m. local time Tuesday at Dakhalya security headquarters in Mansoura, causing the collapse of parts of the five-floor building. Mansoura, the capital of the governorate of Dakhalya, is about 84 miles northeast of Cairo.

Five high-ranking police officers were among those to die in the blast. The head of security for Dakhalya, Sami el Mihi, was wounded in the blast, and two of his aides were killed, security sources told AFP.

The bombing comes weeks before Egypt is to hold a referendum on a new constitution that is billed by the country's military-installed authorities as the first step toward democratic rule after the army ousted President Mohamed Morsi in July.

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The explosion was felt up to 12 miles away and badly damaged nearby buildings, security sources told AFP. Police have evacuated many of the surrounding buildings because they may be unstable.

Initial information indicates that the perpetrators appeared to have inside information about who was at a meeting in the building.

Although no group claimed responsibility for the attack, after the bombing, Egypt's Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi declared the Muslim Brotherhood movement a "terrorist" group. The move could be seen as a further push by the interim authorities to isolate the movement ahead of the referendum.

Attacks on soldiers and policemen have sharply risen in Egypt since the army ousted Morsi after mass demonstrations against his rule. Most of the attacks have occurred in the Sinai, which borders Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip. About 200 soldiers have died in the Sinai since Morsi's ouster.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in a government crackdown on Morsi's supporters, mostly from the Brotherhood.

Mohamed Fahmy contributed to this report, with wire services.