An explosion occurred near an electricity facility on the outskirts of Fayoum early on Tuesday, state-run newspaper Al-Ahram reported.

The bomb was an improvised explosive device (IED), suspected have been planted by extremists.

Bomb squads arrived at the scene following the explosion, and combed the area to ensure no further IEDs were planted.

Egypt has been struggling to quell an insurgency, mainly focused in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, since early 2011.

The insurgency erupted in North Sinai following the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak. After the veteran strongman’s fall, an atmosphere of chaos and a security vacuum ensued, creating conditions ripe for the insurgency to rapidly grow.

The violence intensified in the region following the overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. He was ousted by then-general, now-president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi after mass street demonstrations against his turbulent year in office.

However, the insurgency has increasingly spread out of the restive peninsula, into urban areas, and has seen a rise in the number of explosions and shootings in cities, including Cairo.

Most attacks have targeted security forces, especially checkpoints in the restive Sinai Peninsula. Militants, however, also target state installations, and increasingly pursue state officials.