[naviga:h3]12 dead as security fires on tour group[/naviga:h3]

CAIRO — At least 12 people were killed and 10 injured in Egypt’s southwestern desert Sunday when security forces mistakenly fired on a group of Mexican tourists, Egyptian officials said.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident and said at least two of the dead were Mexican nationals. It said in a statement that the victims were still being identified, and Foreign Ministry personnel were working with the families of the victims.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto posted a statement on his Twitter feed this morning saying his government “condemns these acts against our citizens” and demanding a thorough investigation.

A joint military-police force was pursuing “terrorist elements” in the area and fired on four cars that turned out to be carrying tourists, according to Egypt’s Interior Ministry. The ministry said the victims were Egyptian and Mexican.

Egyptian officials claim the safari convoy had wandered into a restricted area. The tour company involved “did not have permits and did not inform authorities,” Rasha Azazi, a spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, told The Associated Press, adding that any trips to that area are required to be cleared by officials.

“They were not supposed to be there,” she said, but could not provide further information.

Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu was in contact with Egypt’s ambassador to Mexico and also demanded an investigation and explanation of what happened, the Mexican statement said.

[naviga:h3]Alert level raised as volcano erupts[/naviga:h3]

TOKYO — Mount Aso, a volcano on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, has erupted, sending huge plumes of black and then white smoke 2,000 6,560 feet into the air.

The eruption today prompted authorities to raise the alert level for the area, banning people from approaching within 1.25 miles of the volcano’s mouth. There are no homes within that area and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The national television network NHK cited local police as saying they had safety evacuated people from a ropeway station on the mountain and were having other visitors move to lower elevations. Police were still checking to see if any hikers were in the restricted area.

Some flights to the nearby city of Kumamoto were diverted due to the ash pumped into the air by the eruption.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the eruption fired bits of volcanic rock, smoke and steam into the air.