Two security officers were killed and four injured in an explosion in Al-Arish, North Sinai, on Thursday night, the interior ministry said in a statement.

“As a security column was on patrol in the third department of Al-Arishon Thursday night, some terrorist elements were spotted planting an explosive device.”, according to the statement posted on the Facebook page of the ministry.

The security force exchanged fire with these elements and killed one of them and detonated an explosive device that was found beside his body while other elements fled away, the statement added.

“The explosive device went off during efforts to defuse it causing the martyrdom of a Lieutenant Colonel and a Captain of the Central Security sector and the injury of four other officers.”

Hundreds of police and army soldiers were killed in attacks by militants in northern Sinai since the toppling of former President Mohamed Morsi, who belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood in July 2013. The military says it killed hundreds of militants in a crackdown on them involving the police.  

An Egyptian police Colonel was killed in an explosion Al-Arish on Wednesday.