Egypt death toll rises to 464 as Cairo awakes to uneasy calm
Cairo's streets were quiet but tense on Thursday morning, as Egypt took stock of the full scale of Wednesday's attack on pro-Morsi supporters that left more than 464 people killed, with the death toll still rising.
An Egyptian carries a poster of Egypt's
ousted President Mohammed Morsi among debris from a protest camp in
Nahda Square in Cairo Photo: AP Photo/Amr Nabil
Egypt's
new military rulers declared a state of emergency late on Wednesday,
imposing a military curfew on the country's major cities, after security
forces broke up Islamist protest camps in the worst bout of violence since
the 2011 revolution.
At least 421 civilians were killed throughout the country, the Egyptian health
ministry said, plus 43 police officers.
Bodies of protesters who died in clashes the day before, at al-Imene
mosque, Cairo (EPA)
On Thursday morning those death tolls were continuing to rise, as volunteers
began counting up corpses that had been stored in mosques next Rabaa
al-Adawiyeh, the central protest camp for supporters of ousted President
Mohammed Morsi.
At least 70 bodies were lined up, wrapped in white cotton shrouds at the
al-Imam mosque in Nasr city.
Egypt's new rulers remained defiant in face of international condemnation of
the attacks.
Hazem al-Beblawi, Egypt's interim prime minister, praised the police for their "self-restraint."
An Egyptian walks among the debris of a protest camp in Nahda Square,
Giza, Cairo (AP)
Many of the country's newspapers also praised the onslaught. The daily Al-Akhbar newspaper carried the headline: "The nightmare of the Brotherhood is gone". Others published photos of Morsi supporters brandishing weapons and throwing stones at police during the previous day's confrontations.
The United Arab Emirates has also expressed support for the Egyptian government.
"The UAE ... reaffirms its understanding of the sovereign measures taken by the Egyptian government after having exercised maximum self-control," the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.
The rise of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt since 2011 has unsettled most Gulf Arab states, including the UAE, which feared it would embolden Islamists at home.
Days after the army ousted Morsi last month, the UAE offered $3 billion in support for Egypt's economy.
A woman searches for useful items near burned posters of Egypt's ousted
President Mohammed Morsi in Nahda Square, near Cairo University (AP)
Egyptian security forces moved against the protesters after Western and Gulf Arab mediators, including the UAE and Qatar, failed to broker a diplomatic solution to the standoff.
Meanwhile Qatar, a long-time supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood government, condemned the bloodshed and said the best way for Egypt to resolve the crisis was through dialogue.
"Our condemnation came after days of communication to try to reach a peaceful settlement through dialogue among all parties and therefore we were surprised by what happened," said Khaled al-Attiya, the Qatari foreign minister.
Europe's leading powers, along with Iran, Qatar and Turkey, strongly denounced the use of force by the interim government.
Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign affairs chief, has urged Egypt's rulers to end a month-long state of emergency imposed in the wake of the violence.
A man walks inside the burnt Rabaa Adawiya mosque (EPA)
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, said that the violence in Egypt required an urgent discussion at the UN Security Council.
Washington, which provides Egypt with $1.3 billion in annual military aid, "strongly condemns" the violence against the protesters and opposed the state of emergency.
The Brotherhood urged Egyptians on Thursday 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," said Gehad al-Haddad, a Brotherhood spokesman, on Twitter.
Mohamed Ibrahim, the Egyptian interior minister, however said that no more protests would be tolerated.
Tanks have been brought onto the streets across the capital, and Cairo is set to impose the military curfew again on Thursday evening.
Hazem al-Beblawi, Egypt's interim prime minister, praised the police for their "self-restraint."
An Egyptian walks among the debris of a protest camp in Nahda Square,
Giza, Cairo (AP)
Many of the country's newspapers also praised the onslaught. The daily Al-Akhbar newspaper carried the headline: "The nightmare of the Brotherhood is gone". Others published photos of Morsi supporters brandishing weapons and throwing stones at police during the previous day's confrontations.
The United Arab Emirates has also expressed support for the Egyptian government.
"The UAE ... reaffirms its understanding of the sovereign measures taken by the Egyptian government after having exercised maximum self-control," the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.
The rise of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt since 2011 has unsettled most Gulf Arab states, including the UAE, which feared it would embolden Islamists at home.
Days after the army ousted Morsi last month, the UAE offered $3 billion in support for Egypt's economy.
A woman searches for useful items near burned posters of Egypt's ousted
President Mohammed Morsi in Nahda Square, near Cairo University (AP)
Egyptian security forces moved against the protesters after Western and Gulf Arab mediators, including the UAE and Qatar, failed to broker a diplomatic solution to the standoff.
Meanwhile Qatar, a long-time supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood government, condemned the bloodshed and said the best way for Egypt to resolve the crisis was through dialogue.
"Our condemnation came after days of communication to try to reach a peaceful settlement through dialogue among all parties and therefore we were surprised by what happened," said Khaled al-Attiya, the Qatari foreign minister.
Europe's leading powers, along with Iran, Qatar and Turkey, strongly denounced the use of force by the interim government.
Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign affairs chief, has urged Egypt's rulers to end a month-long state of emergency imposed in the wake of the violence.
A man walks inside the burnt Rabaa Adawiya mosque (EPA)
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, said that the violence in Egypt required an urgent discussion at the UN Security Council.
Washington, which provides Egypt with $1.3 billion in annual military aid, "strongly condemns" the violence against the protesters and opposed the state of emergency.
The Brotherhood urged Egyptians on Thursday 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," said Gehad al-Haddad, a Brotherhood spokesman, on Twitter.
Mohamed Ibrahim, the Egyptian interior minister, however said that no more protests would be tolerated.
Tanks have been brought onto the streets across the capital, and Cairo is set to impose the military curfew again on Thursday evening.
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