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Security officials say a man hurled a Molotov explosive into a restaurant in the centre of the Egyptian capital.

A petrol bomb has killed at least 16 people in a restaurant in Cairo, say security officials.

Three others were wounded.

Witnesses said the attack happened after a group of men were turned away from the restaurant in the Agouza area of the Egyptian capital

A furious row erupted before a bomb or bombs were thrown into the premises.

Three men reportedly then sped away on a motorbike.

Victims of the blast were burned to death or died from smoke inhalation. The restaurant, also a nightclub, was in a basement, offering no escape route, the officials said.

Islamist militants have claimed a number of bombing and shooting attacks in Egypt.

Most have been against members of the security forces since the army toppled President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 after mass protests.