A Molotov cocktail hurled at a Cairo nightclub has killed 18 people, Egyptian security officials said on Friday.

One of the officials said the attacker was an employee who had been fired from the nightclub in the Agouza area in the centre of the Egyptian capital, Reuters news agency reported.

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

At least five people were wounded in the attack.

Armed groups have claimed a number of bombing and shooting attacks in Egypt, mostly against members of the security forces since the army toppled President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 after mass protests.

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