Violence erupts at final whistle

At least 73 people were killed yesterday in fan violence after a football match in the city of Port Said, the health ministry said, as Egypt struggled with a wave of incidents linked to poor security.

“The death toll, as a result of the unrest after the match between Al-Ahly and Al-Masri, has reached 73,” deputy health minister Helmy al-Efni said.

A security official said the violence erupted as soon as the referee blew the final whistle. Fans of Al-Masri, which beat Al-Ahly 3-0, invaded the pitch and began to throw rocks, bottles and fireworks at the Al-Ahly fans.

Egypt’s military ruler, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who took power when veteran president Hosni Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising in February, has sent two military planes to Port Said to fly out the players and the injured, state television reported.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest political force, accused Mubarak supporters of instigating the football violence.

“The events in Port Said are planned and are a message from the remnants of the former regime,” said MP Essam al-Erian in a statement on the Islamist group’s Freedom and Justice Party website.

Medics said some of the deaths were the result of stab wounds and that the death toll could rise further as ambulances continued to ferry in the injured from the stadium.

Shops in the northern city of 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.

Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmud has ordered an immediate investigation into the violence, state TV reported.

Parliament speaker Saad al-Katatni, a member of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, said that the People’s Assembly will hold an emergency session today at 11a.m to discuss the violence.

Newly elected liberal deputy Amr Hamzawi has called for the immediate sacking of the interior minister as well as the governor and security chief of Port Said.