Terrible news that we are sad to report out of Egypt. At least 73 people have been killed in fan clashes following a football match in the Egyptian city of Port Said, state television is reporting. The fans were killed Wednesday in very unnecessary violence that occurred after a match between top-tier clubs Masry and al-Ahly in Port Said, when fans rushed the field seconds after a match. All premier league matches have been cancelled and the newly-elected Egyptian parliament is to hold an emergency session on Thursday, state TV has announced.
According to CBC:
A security official and a medic said fans of the home team, Al-Masry, swarmed the field after a rare 3-1 win against Al-Ahly, Egypt’s top team. They threw stones, fireworks, and bottles at the fans and injured some players.
A medic at a morgue in Port Said, a city on the Mediterranean coast, said some of the dead were security officers. He was speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
The causes of the deaths were not immediately known.
The players were later taken to the locker room for protection, Sayed Hamdi, a player told state TV.
Soon after the violence, a soccer game in the Cairo Stadium between the Al-Ismailiya and Zamalek teams was called off in mourning for the violence in Port Said.
The video below shows footage of the tragic indent.
via CBC
via BBC
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