Emergency rule declared in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula after bomb kills 30 troops

A state of emergency came into force yesterday across parts of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula as the military pounded suspected jihadists after 30 soldiers were killed in a suicide car bombing.

The bombing was carried out by a suspected jihadist, who rammed a checkpoint with his explosives-packed vehicle, security officials said.

The emergency measures would last three months, the presidency said in the wake of the deadliest attack on security forces since the army deposed Islamist president Mohammed Mursi last year.

The Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip - the only route into the Palestinian territory not controlled by Israel - was also closed.

"The army and the police will take all necessary measures to tackle the dangers of terrorism and its financing, to preserve the security of the region ... and protect the lives of citizens," the presidential decree said.

The attack, in an agricultural area northwest of El-Arish, the main town in north Sinai, killed at least 30 soldiers and injured 29 others, medics said. A senior army official and five officers were said to be among those wounded.