Two protesters have been shot dead in clashes with Egyptian police in Suez, the first to die in demonstrations that followed a football match riot that left 74 dead.

Health official Mohammed Lasheen said the two were killed by gunfire and were taken to a hospital in Suez.

About 3,000 people demonstrated in front of police headquarters in Suez. Police fired tear gas and live ammunition, witnesses said.

Demonstrations erupted in Cairo and other places in Egypt after Wednesday's Port Said stadium carnage. Protesters blame police for failing to contain the disturbance.

The 74 deaths in Port Said fuelled anger at Egypt's ruling military and the already widely-distrusted police forces.

Many in the public and in the newly elected parliament blamed the leadership for letting it happen - whether from a lack of control or, as some claimed, on purpose.

Survivors of the riot described a nightmarish scene in the stadium. Police stood by doing nothing, they said, as fans of the winning home team, Al-Masry, attacked supporters of the top Cairo club, Al-Ahly, stabbing them and throwing them off stands.

A narrow exit corridor turned into a death trap as crowds of fans fled into it, only to be crushed against a locked gate as their rivals attacked them from behind.

A network of zealous Al-Ahly football fans known as Ultras vowed vengeance, accusing the police of intentionally letting rivals attack them because they have been among the most aggressive of Egypt's revolutionaries. Ultras were at the forefront of the anti-government uprising - first against toppled leader Hosni Mubarak a year ago and now against the military that took his place in power.

"Either they will die or we will die," one Ultra said, referring to the police, as he joined a march by some 10,000 people on the Cairo headquarters of the Interior Ministry, which oversees the security forces. He would only give his first name, Islam, for fear of reprisals.

The march turned into a call for the ruling military council of generals, led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, to surrender power.

The military has faced protests for months led by secular and liberal youth groups demanding an end to its rule - and the riot added to criticism that the generals have mismanaged the transition from Mubarak's rule.

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