Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu flew to Cairo to witness firsthand how the support efforts are being conducted, and to personally investigate the tragedy where a group of tourists were openly fired on by Egyptian security forces.
Ruiz Massieu restated that the Mexican officials were demanding a further investigation as to what really happened in Cairo during a news conference in Mexico City. The Mexican government has only received confirmation that two Mexicans were killed and that more six that were wounded.
Authorities are still seeking information regarding the whereabouts of the six others, according to the New York Times.
Jorge Alvarez, Mexico's ambassador to Egypt, announced to the media on Monday that the two confirmed victims were identified as Luis Barajas Fernandez and Maria de Lourdes Fernandez Rubio. Another confirmed death was of Rafael Bejarano, which was relayed through his sister by his companions. Reports still differ whether 14 or 15 tourists were in the touring group, the Associated Press reported.
Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores has given out its number so people with information regarding the other tourists can be relayed to them.
La @SRE_mx pone a disposición el número +5215538516324 para cualquier información sobre mexicanos que vivan en #Egipto o viajen por ese país
— Claudia Ruiz Massieu (@ruizmassieu) September 14, 2015
"We face a terrible loss of human lives and an unjustified attack that obligates us to make the protection of our citizens the priority," the Foreign Prime Minister said to reporters while at the Mexico City international airport. She was on her way to Egypt with seven relatives of the victims with Mexican doctors to personally tend to the wounded citizens, according to the Economic Times.
Ruiz Massieu will be having a meeting with the high ranking officials of Egypt so she could "obtain first-hand information that can clear up the circumstances of this deplorable event which has cost the lives of innocent Mexican tourists."
Hassan El Nahla, the head of the Egyptian Union of Tour Guides, noted that the group was traveling through checkpoints with their police escort, but the Egyptian Interior Ministry stated that the incident happened where it is "off limits to foreign tourists." They were "mistakenly dealt with" while in the Wahat Area located in the Western Desert, according to BBC.
