At least 75 people, including eight foreigners, were killed in a series of blasts in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh early Saturday, medics and officials said.

Egyptian Health Minister Mohammad Awad Tag Eddin earlier put the death toll at 62, saying that it is possible the toll will rise.

One car bomb exploded in front of the Ghazala Hotel in Naama Bay, where most of the resort's luxury hotels are located.

Another car bomb exploded in the old market in the heart of Sharm el-Sheikh, about 6 km from Naama Bay.

A third explosion occurred in a car park at the entrance to Naama Bay and it could have been a bag of explosives, police sources said.

Egyptian Interior Minister Habib el-Adli said that attacks in Sharm el-Sheikh might be linked to the Taba blasts of 2004.

Adli said they have found some clues that might help find who carried out these attacks. The clues indicate a link between the explosions and the Taba blasts in the Sinai Peninsula on October 7, 2004, which killed 34 people and injured more than 100.

(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2005)