At least 16 dead in petrol bomb attack on Cairo nightclub

At least 16 people were killed and five wounded in a petrol bomb attack on a Cairo restaurant in the early hours of Friday.

Police said they did not immediately know the motive behind the firebombing in the Agouza neighbourhood of the Egyptian capital.

Video footage captured on a mobile phone showed the club on fire:

The restaurant, which contains a night club in the basement, has been identified as "El-Sayad", which is Arabic for "Fisherman".

Victims died from a mixture of smoke inhalation and burns. There was no escape route from the basement, officials said.

Reports emerging on Friday morning that could not be verified by Middle East Eye suggested the official death toll is likely to increase.

According to a security source, the attack appeared to have been the result of a dispute between the owners and former disgruntled employees of the venue.

One witness told the private broadcaster ONTV that the attackers fled on a motorbike.

Agouza is regarded as a highly affluent area of Cairo and features a number of fixtures of the city's nightlife, including the Cairo Jazz Club.