Four bombers who launched deadly attacks on the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Taba frequented by Israeli tourists all survived and escaped before their explosives-laded vehicles exploded, an Egyptian newspaper reported on Wednesday.

A senior Egyptian security official was quoted by al-Ahram as saying that the attackers used three vehicles to carry out the attacks, in which they put explosives under crates of vegetables.

Casualties of the attacks vary in reports. But the Egyptian Interior and Health Ministries said Tuesday in government documents that 33 were killed, including 10 Egyptians, and 159 others were injured.

All the vehicles used in the attacks came from within Egypt, one from the Greater Cairo area, said al-Ahram, without giving further details on the identity or nationality of the bombers.

Three previously-unknown groups have separately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the credibility of those statements can not be verified for the moment.

The Israeli government said shortly after the attacks that an international terror group like al-Qaeda was probably behind the attacks, but has yet to present convincing proof.

The Egyptian authorities on Saturday detained some Beduins for questioning and it was reported that at least one of them confessed to selling explosives to the attackers.

Beduins are known for their good knowledge of the barren terrain in the region and have been found involved in smuggling activities in the past.

A deadly blast Thursday night rocked Hilton Taba hotel in Egypt's Sinai Peninsular, which was popular with Israeli tourists. Shortly after that, two other blasts occurred at holiday camps further south.

(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2004)