CAIRO — Egypt’s Health Ministry said 14 citizens suffered from suffocation as "limited" fire broke out on Wednesday in the main hall allocated to host El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) in the Red Sea governorate, Ahram reported

Civil protection units brought the fire under control, the GFF’s administration said in a statement, adding that flames devoured a small part of the hall prepared to host the opening of the festival.

The cause of the fire is being investigated, the administration said, suggesting a short circuit took place. The press conference of the fifth GFF will be held Wednesday as scheduled, the administration affirmed.

The Red Sea city of El Gouna is scheduled to host the fifth GFF between Oct. 14 and 22. In its statement, the Health Ministry said 20 ambulances, medical teams, and mobile clinics were dispatched to the scene.

Eight people were sent to the nearby El Gouna Hospital, the ministry said. The rest were treated on site.

Business Tycoon Naguib Sawiris, the founder of the GFF, tweeted a photo of the El Gouna conference center that will host the festival, saying it was unaffected and that the fifth GFF will be held as scheduled.

Established in 2017, El Gouna Film Festival is held annually to showcase a diverse range of films in the attendance of a large number of actors, actresses, and filmmakers.

Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival last year was held in October under the supervision of Egypt’s Ministry of Health, amid the coronavirus pandemic. More than 40 films participated in the festival, from feature narratives and documentaries to short films.

Despite global fears regarding the coronavirus pandemic, the festival intended to aid in boosting the country’s tourism sector.

“There are many opinions, but the main thing we are doing is saying that we are defying this disease and that life must go on,” Sawiris, said, according to Reuters. He also stressed that the festival would be held with all necessary health precautions.

Last year’s event was the country’s first large-scale event to take place since March 2020, when the government closed airports to international flights, shut down historical sites and placed restrictions on public gatherings in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. — Agencies