CAIRO: American actor Will Smith and his family arrived in Cairo on Sunday and paid a visit to the iconic Giza Pyramids. They were accompanied by renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass who guided the family on a tour around the Sphinx and inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu.
Egyptians, meanwhile, are understandably excited. Pictures on local media showed Smith’s fans taking selfies with the actor as he arrived at Cairo’s International Airport.
Hawass, who is a former minister of antiquities, told Ahram Online that Smith and his family enjoyed admiring the sunrise on the plateau, learning about ancient Egyptian civilization and taking photographs before the Sphinx.
Smith and Hawass have been friends since 2006 when they were selected among Time magazine’s top 100 men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world.
He will also be visiting the national museum in central Cairo, before he embarks on a trip to Luxor and Aswan, to see the relics of Egypt’s ancient past.
“Smith was impressed with the Pharaoh’s legacy, and he stated that he was obsessed with it ever since he was a little kid and always dreamed of being an Egyptologist in order to discover the secrets of the Pharaohs,” Ashraf Mohy El-Den, director-general of the Giza Plateau, said.
Will Smith fascinated by pyramids during Egypt visit
Will Smith fascinated by pyramids during Egypt visit
Small dog sole survivor of Peru helicopter crash that killed 15
- Rescue workers found the caramel-colored dog among the twisted wreckage of the Mi-17 helicopter
- Local media reported that the dog appeared OK, but as a precaution was taken to a veterinary clinic
LIMA: The only survivor of a military helicopter crash in southern Peru that killed 15 people was a small dog belonging to a colonel who was among the passengers, an air force source told AFP Tuesday.
Rescue workers found the caramel-colored dog among the twisted wreckage of the Mi-17 helicopter that crashed Sunday. It was lying next to the body of its owner, Col. Javier Nole, 50, who was on board with his wife and two daughters.
“It’s Col. Nole’s pet; it’s the only survivor,” the source, who requested anonymity, told AFP.
Local media reported that the dog appeared OK, but as a precaution was taken to a veterinary clinic.
Seven children were among the 15 fatalities when the Russian-made aircraft crashed in the Arequipa region. The helicopter had been recently deployed in rescue operations for victims of floods there.
It had taken off from the city of Pisco, in the Ica region. Rescuers located the wreckage on Monday just over 300 kilometers (186 miles) away near Chala Viejo, a town close to the Pacific coast in Arequipa.
The air force has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
