Update: Suicide bomber kills civilian, wounds 33 in Egypt's Sinai

A suicide car bomber on Tuesday killed a civilian and wounded at least 33 others, including 30 policemen, in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula, an official security source told Xinhua.

The attack took place in the early morning at a police camp on the border of Arish city, the capital of North Sinai province, the source said.

"The bomber rammed a water tanker filled with explosives to break into the gate of the base," an Interior Ministry source was quoted as saying by state-run Ahram website.

"Once approached, police fired at the vehicle, detonating the explosives inside, killing the militant driver," the source added.

Al-Qaida-inspired Ansar Beit al-Maqdis group in Sinai, an Egyptian affiliate of the Islamic State (IS), claimed responsibility for the attack.

Elsewhere in southern Arish, an army officer was killed and three soldiers wounded in a car bombing, a security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The attack took place as the military forces launched raids on the hotbeds of terrorists in Qourah, Beir Lahphen district early morning, the official said, adding that an army vehicle exploded when it passed over a planted bomb.

North Sinai is the epicenter of an Islamist insurgency that has killed hundreds of police and soldiers since Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the military in July 2013 after mass protests against his one-year rule.

The Egyptian military said on Sunday that 70 militants were killed in airstrikes and security raids in North Sinai last week.

Egypt has been beefing up security forces in Sinai Peninsula ahead of an economic conference which will be held on March 13-15 in Sharm El-Sheikh city. Endit