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Updated 13.15
EGYPT IS UNDER a tense state of emergency today after security forces stormed the Cairo protest camps supporting ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, in a bloody assault that sparked violence across the country, which officials said claimed at least 525 lives.
The army-backed interim government imposed a month-long nationwide state of emergency, and curfews in Cairo and 13 other provinces after the violence yesterday.
Gory photographs and video images of the Cairo bloodbath dominated social media networks, as world powers called for restraint and condemned the show of force by security forces.
Calls from international leaders have been made this morning for action to ensure the nation is not reduced to a civil war.
French President Francois Hollande issued a statement to warn that “everything must be done to avoid a civil war” in Egypt.
Supporters of Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi clash with security forces near the largest sit-in by supporters of Morsi in the eastern Nasr City district of Cairo. (Mohammed Abu Zeid/AP/Press Association Images)
However, the Muslim Brotherhood has called for a march in Cairo later today “to protest the death of their relatives”.
At least four churches were attacked, with Christian activists accusing Morsi loyalists of waging “a war of retaliation against Copts in Egypt”.
Hours after tear gas canisters first rained down on tents of protesters in the sprawling Rabaa al-Adawiya camp in eastern Cairo, an AFP correspondent counted at least 124 bodies in makeshift morgues there.
In a field hospital, its floors slippery with blood, doctors struggled to cope with the casualties, leaving the hopeless cases, even if still alive.
The death toll included 43 policemen who died in violence across the country and 202 protesters killed in the Rabaa al-Adawiya protest camp, senior health ministry official Khaled al-Khatib said on Thursday.
Teenage victim
Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood spoke of 2,200 dead overall and more than 10,000 wounded.
Among those killed in Cairo was 17-year-old Asmaa al-Beltagui, daughter of wanted Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed al-Beltagui, a spokesman for Morsi’s movement said.
Britain’s Sky News said a veteran cameraman, Briton Mick Deane, was shot and killed while covering the assaults.
The violence prompted vice president and Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei to resign, saying his conscience was troubled over the loss of life, “particularly as I believe it could have been avoided”.
“It has become too difficult to continue bearing responsibility for decisions I do not agree with and whose consequences I fear,” he said.
(YouTube: AlJazeeraEnglish)
The state of emergency went into effect at 4pm local time yesterday, with daily overnight curfews from 7pm to 6am.
The dramatic descent on the squares shortly after dawn came as a surprise to many. Security officials had originally spoken of gradually dispersing the sit-ins over several days.
Shortly after dawn on Wednesday, witnesses and an AFP correspondent said security forces fired tear gas before surging into Rabaa al-Adawiya, sparking pandemonium among the thousands of protesters who had set up the camp soon after Morsi was ousted in a military coup on 3 July.
Men in gas masks rushed to grab each canister and dunk them in containers of water, as the main stage near the mosque of the camp blared Islamic anthems and protesters chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest).
Many Morsi supporters were given safe passage out of the camp, some flashing victory signs as they left through a security corridor.
A security official told AFP that hundreds of people were taking advantage of the safe passage offer, but that some diehards had stayed behind to fight on.
A supporters of Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi shows spent ammunition during clashes with security forces near the largest sit-in by supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in the eastern Nasr City district of Cairo. (Mohammed Abu Zeid/AP/Press Association Images)
By Wednesday evening, a security official said Rabaa al-Adawiya was “totally under control”, adding: “There are no more clashes”.
In the smaller of the protest camps, at Al-Nahda square in central Cairo, police said they had control of the area after two hours.
Television footage showed flattened tents, as women and children flanked by police and army troops were led out of the square.
Dozens rounded up in the dispersal were shown sitting on the ground, handcuffed and surrounded by security forces.
Authorities later said calm had been restored across the country.
A supporter of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi shoots a gun towards the Egyptian Police at a sit-in at Rabaah al-Adawiya. (Manu Brabo/AP/Press Association Images)
Use of force widely condemned
Europe’s leading powers, along with Iran, Qatar and Turkey, strongly denounced the use of force by the interim government.
The White House said Washington, which provides Egypt with $1.3 billion in annual military aid, “strongly condemns” the violence against the protesters and opposes the imposition of a state of emergency.
Interim prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi praised the police for their “self-restraint” and said the government remained committed to an army-drafted roadmap that calls for elections in 2014.
The Muslim Brotherhood urged Egyptians to take to the streets in their thousands to denounce the “massacre”.
“This is not an attempt to disperse, but a bloody attempt to crush all voices of opposition to the military coup,” Brotherhood spokesman Gehad al-Haddad said on Twitter.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said no more protests would be tolerated.
The anger against the Islamist movement was evident as residents of several neighbourhoods clashed with Morsi loyalists.
Clashes also erupted between security forces and Morsi supporters in the northern provinces of Alexandria and Beheira, the canal provinces of Suez and Ismailiya, and the central provinces of Assiut and Menya.
A supporter of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi shoots a slingshot against Egyptian security forces. (Manu Brabo/AP/Press Association Images)
In Alexandria, hundreds of angry Morsi supporters marched through the streets armed with wooden clubs chanting “Morsi is my president”.
An AFP reporter said they set fire to tyres and tore down pictures of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the coup against Morsi.
It was a dramatic turn of events for the Muslim Brotherhood, who just over a year ago celebrated Morsi’s victory as Egypt’s first elected president.
His turbulent year in power, marred by political turmoil, deadly clashes and a crippling economic crisis, turned many against the Islamist movement, with millions taking to the streets on June 30 to call for his removal.
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Thankfully nobody has been seriously hurt.
Important to reduce speed in inclement weather conditions.
@FrankDapavia: generally if they airlift someone it means they are seriously hurt.
@Jane:
“None of the injuries sustained in the collisions are understood to be life-threatening”
@FrankDapavia: bit serious enough to be airlifted
@Jane: Sometimes it’s quicker, especially when there are multiple casualties. A major incident plan will utilise multiple resources. It doesn’t mean seriously injured parties.
@FrankDapavia: not life threatening doesn’t mean not serious, two broken legs would be serious but not life endangering, but continue to bicker, it seems to be all you do here.
@oh i dunno: sorry didn’t mean to bicker.
@Jane: I wasn’t replying to you Jane.
@FrankDapavia: I was in the tailback not far from the main incident n/bound. Accidents do happen but some people on the M7 today speeding excessively for the weather conditions! Need to slow down people.
@oh i dunno:
You looking for an argument?
I know that part of the M7 well, even on a dry road it’s a bit dodgy downhill on that bend at 120km so I’m not surprised there was a pile up there when conditions are so bad, glad there was no serious injury’s.
@Caoimhin O’Murchadha: what good drives at 120k in a hail storm?….oh wait
@Caoimhin O’Murchadha: 120kph is the limit, not a target.
Always accidents on that section of the motorway after heavy rain I live locally and know lads with the fire service who once there’s a downpour are guaranteed to be called out unfortunately sometimes to fatalities
Sounds dreadful!
Hope they all recover soon.
@Jarlath Murphy: not the first time there’s been a pile up at that spot. I got stuck behind a 7 car pile up only last year. The road is good, but it’s boring…and the most dangerous thing on it is the “off ramp” for Roscrea. You’d want to be able to manouvere a rollercoaster to get into that exit quick enough.
Arrive Alive Folks.
Did Met Eireann name this storm??
@Ding Ding Denny: Storm Hailey?
There are some seriously stupid people driving cars.
@William Grogan: give the volume of collisions on the stretch of road, Id be more of the view of it being shite road planning.
@Carina Clarke: Excellent comment although its wrong to blame any incident fully on the road. Its nearly always a chain of small events that cause these incidents but yes poor road planning & structure do play an important role. Also we could do with a lot more smart road signs in known danger zones to manage trafic better.
@William Grogan: Fully agree, as a professional driver covering approx 3/400 kilometers per day i am aghast at some of the things i see, I’m surprised i don’t come upon more accidents than i do really. I am actually more surprised the fatality rate is as low as it is, the standard of driving in this country could be described as appalling at best. We really need to look at re-testing every 10 years.
@Mjhint:
That stretch of road is known to have regular accidents.
It’s terrible planning, the off ramp to Roscrea as mentioned is a real hazard.
There was a crash there within days of that section of the motorway being opened.
@Carina Clarke: Or people driving with summer tyres instead of all season tyres for this climate.
@brendan H: I have all season tyres on my car. They are marginally better for stopping distance. What drives me batty in this Country is the insistence of having exits signposted after the turn along with a load of signs in the one place blocking other ones. A great example of this is in Dublin looking for the N4 past the mater hospital. The sign is completely blocked from view. Also signs blocked by greenery. Rubbish road lighting on dual carraigways but the hedging not being high enough or dense enough on the central.divide to drive with headlight on as your blinding the oncoming traffic on the other side of the dual carraigeway.
@Carina Clarke: Bad drivers cause crashes,not taking weather conditions into consideration. I’m from Scotland & you never see people driving like this in wintry conditions. Slow down & use your gears,not your brakes.
@Carina Clarke: agree with you some signs as for m50 are not clear which lame to get into you could nearly be going to say n4 city bound as sign for m50 northbound is to the right where it should be under the road on the left side. I live here imagine the problem for tourists or people not familiar with the area.
@Carina Clarke: or is it road building.
@William Grogan: not only with stupid drivers can hapen like that.there was man with more than 20 years expir…. it can hapen with everyone.
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Bad accedent on m18 South of Crusheen exit again hail on road
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