Authorities uncover a tunnel at Egypt-Gaza border

Border guards uncovered a tunnel in the border city of Rafah that allegedly was used to smuggle weapons and Palestinians from Gaza into the Sinai Peninsula, a security official said Thursday. The tunnel, which was a meter wide, was found Wednesday under the kitchen floor in a house located just less than 10 meters (yards) from the border crossing, the official said on condition of anonymity, because he wasn't allowed to speak to the press. The owner of the house was arrested, and family members were asked to leave while security forces sealed off the area to search for other tunnels, the official added. The tunnel was dug in the 1990s, and Egypt was coordinating with Palestinian authorities in Gaza to close its other end, the official said.