Scores killed in Egypt football disaster
At least 74 people were killed and hundreds injured when rival fans
clashed Wednesday after a football match in the Egyptian city of Port
Said, in what FIFA called a “black day for football.”
In one of the deadliest incidents in the sport’s history, violence
erupted as soon as the referee blew the final whistle in a match which
saw home team Al-Masri beat Cairo’s Al-Ahly 3-1.
Al-Masri fans flooded the pitch, throwing rocks, bottles and
fireworks at Al-Ahly supporters, sparking chaos and panic as Al-Ahly
players and fans ran in all directions trying to flee, witnesses said.
Photos of bleeding players circulated on the Internet.
Gunfire was also reported on the main road leading to Port Said from
Cairo, and troops were deployed to prevent further clashes.
“The death toll has now reached 74, including one policeman, in the
unrest after the match between Al-Ahly and Al-Masri,” the health
ministry said in a statement.
“Most of the people were killed in the crush,” Interior Minister
Mohammed Ibrahim added, while medics said some of the deaths were the
result of stab wounds. State television said around 1,000 people were
injured in the violence but the interior ministry put the number at 248.
The clashes in the northern city - blamed by the Muslim Brotherhood
on supporters of fallen president Hosni Mubarak - came as the country
struggles with a wave of incidents linked to poor security.
Shops in Port Said, which sits at the entrance to the Suez Canal,
shut their doors as private cars helped to shuttle the injured across
the city to hospitals. CAIRO, AFP |