Cairo blast:Isis claims responsibility for car bomb outside Italian consulate

The explosion killed one and left several injured early on Saturday morning

The red-facaded Italian Consulate was seriously damaged in the early-morning blast (AP)

Isis has claimed responsibility for a car bombing near the Italian Consulate in Egypt that killed one person, injured several and severely damaged the building.

The blast, which happened at around 6:20 on Saturday morning, was reportedly carried out by Isis, the terror group said later the same day.

The building is at one of the busiest junctions in Cairo, connecting Ramsis Square to the heart of the city. The consulate was closed at the time so there were no civilian staff inside. It is not year clear who the fatality was.

Italy's foreign minister vowed that his country would not be threatened, writing in his Twitter feed that: "Our thoughts are with the people affected and with our personnel. Italy will not let itself be intimidated."

Eye witness Ahmed Hasan said he say someone with a severed leg after looking out of his blown-out window to see what had happened.

Some residents were reportedly evacuated from nearby residential buildings, due to damage from the blast.

Water pipes burst in the blast, flooding the area. Onlookers gathered to watch but were forced back by police cordoning off the site. A gaping hole could be seen in the side of the red-facaded building.

A handful of foreign journalists were detained, allegedly because they arrived at the scene too quickly. They were released several hours later.

Egypt has seen a wave of violence recently and last month the country’s public prosecutor Hisham Barakat was killed by a car bomb in the city.

Days later, militants waged a coordinated and protracted attack on military installations in the restive northern Sinai province, leaving at least 17 soldiers dead in one of the most brazen attacks on troops in the area.

Additional reporting Associated Press