Extremists kill 115 people in attack on Egyptian mosque

At least 115 people have been killed with dozens more wounded when extremists carried out a devastating attack on a mosque in the Egyptian town of Bir al-Abed located on the Sinai peninsula.

Ambulances transported scores of wounded along with the casualties from the al-Rawdah mosque, which also lay west of the northern city of Arish.

Officials told Egypt's state news agency, Mena, that militants arrived in four 4WD drive vehicles before proceeding to bomb the place of worship and open fire on the survivors who had been attending a sermon at the Friday prayer session.

"They were shooting at people as they left the mosque," a local resident told Reuters.

"They were shooting at the ambulances too," they added.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi called an emergency security meeting immediately after the attack.

Militants in the Sinai region had previously mainly targeted security forces with their attacks, but of late had expanded attacks beyond the peninsula to target Christian churches and pilgrims.

Responsibility for the attack, the worst the African nation had endured in the last three years, was not immediately claimed by any group.