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At least 16 people have been killed in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, after firebomb was thrown into a restaurant, the BBC reports.

The attack happened in the Agouza area, in the city centre.

The Cairo Post newspaper said three masked men threw the device into the venue before fleeing. Reports say the target also contained a nightclub.

Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed security official as saying one of the suspects is a disgruntled ex-employee.

The agency said the restaurant was in the basement of the building, making it harder for people to escape.

The victims died from burns or the effects of inhaling smoke, it said. At least five other people were injured.

Cairo has previously been rocked by a series of attacks on security forces and civilians carried out by suspected Islamist militants.

An Islamist insurgency intensified in the wake of the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.