Mysterious Egyptian sarcophagus opened to reveal three mummies despite fears over ancient curse

A mysterious 2000-year-old sarcophagus found in Egypt has been opened - to reveal the mummies of what appeared to be a family of three.

The massive black granite relic was unearthed earlier this month during the construction of an apartment building in the historic Mediterranean port city Alexandria.

The tomb is the largest yet found in the city, prompting a swirl of theories in local and international media that it might be the resting place of Alexander the Great.

But Egyptian archaeologists on Thursday dashed local hopes that it might contain the remains of the ancient Greek ruler - who in 331 BC founded the city that still bears his name - as the 30-tonne sarcophagus was found to contain three decomposed skeletons submerged in red sewage water.

There were also fears among Egyptian media that opening the coffin could unleash a 1,000-year curse.

"We found the bones of three people, in what looks like a family burial," Mostafa Waziri, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council for Antiquities, told reporters at the site.

"Unfortunately the mummies inside were not in the best condition and only the bones remain."

Waziri said some of the remains had disintegrated because sewage water from a nearby building had leaked into the sarcophagus through a small crack in one of the sides.

Addressing media speculation that opening the coffin could trigger an ancient curse, Waziri said he was not aware of any such malediction.

“The sarcophagus has been opened, but we have not been hit by a curse,” Waziri said, according to The Guardian.

He added: "We've opened it and, thank God, the world has not fallen into darkness.

"I was the first to put my whole head inside the sarcophagus... and here I stand before you ... I am fine."

The location of the remains of Alexander the Great, who died in 323 BC in Babylon, remains a mystery.

The sarcophagus in Alexandria is the latest of a series of interesting archaeological finds this year in Egypt that include a 4,400-year-old tomb in Giza and an ancient necropolis in Minya, south of Cairo.

The unmarked tomb in Alexandria did not likely belong to any other notable ruler in the Ptolemaic period (332 BC-30 BC) associated with Alexander the Great, or the subsequent Roman era, Waziri said.

The skulls of the three mummies found inside will now be analysed to determine their ages and cause of death.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.