Cairo  - Four Egyptians were killed in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, 207 kilometres north of Cairo, when an old mine exploded in a store on Tuesday, a security source said.

The source said two workers, the son of the shop owner and a 12- year-old boy who happened to be passing by the store at the time of the explosion, died. A housewife was also injured, according to the source.

The blast, which occurred in the al-Muntazah district of the coastal city, has caused severe damage to an apartment nearby and destroyed a parked car.

It appeared that the shop owner used to keep war remnants in his store.

Millions of mines have been found in Egypt's northern deserts since World War II. (dpa)