02 April 2008 - 18H30

Egypt finds three tunnels near Gaza border

Egyptian authorities on Wednesday discovered three underground tunnels near the border with the Gaza Strip, a security official told AFP.

"The tunnels were discovered just north of the Rafah crossing. They were all empty but fresh footprints show they had been used recently," the official said.

The tunnels were found in agricultural land early Wednesday morning and were immediately destroyed, the official said, adding that no arrests had been made.

Israel has often accused Egypt of doing too little to counter alleged arms smuggling through tunnels dug from Gaza into Egypt. The allegations have been vehemently denied by Cairo.

On Sunday, a Palestinian smuggler died when a tunnel he was in collapsed between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Another Palestinian smuggler was killed when a tunnel he was working on collapsed on the Egyptian side of the border on March 12.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said Egypt was falling short in its efforts to stop Palestinians allegedly trafficking weapons to the Gaza Strip through the tunnels.

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