Egypt began three days of mourning on Thursday after 74 people were killed in an eruption of violence at a football match that sparked new anger against the military rulers for failing to ensure security.
The rioting Wednesday night in the northern city of Port Said marked one of the deadliest incidents in football history and sent shares on the Cairo stock exchange plunging 4.6 percent in Thursday morning trade.
The government moved swiftly to sack the Port Said security chief while Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzuri summoned his cabinet for an emergency meeting later Thursday.
Clashes 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, causing chaos and panic as 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.
State television ran footage of riot police standing rigidly in rows as pandemonium erupted around them.
Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim has said most of the deaths were caused by the crush but medics said some people were stabbed.
The health ministry said 74 people were killed, including a policeman. Hundreds were also reported wounded. Police said 47 people had been arrested.
The ruling military announced three days of national mourning and Ibrahim fired city security chief Essam Samak because of the violence. Stocks in Cairo tumbled by 4.6 percent in late morning trade, with the EGX-30 index of leading shares falling from 4.688 points at opening to 4.471 points.
The clashes — 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.
Politicians, fans and players took to social media to express their fury over the clashes, which cap a year of political upheaval and unrest after the uprising that unseated Mubarak.
“There are dead people lying on the ground! There are dead people in the changing room,” Al-Ahly striker Emad Meteab told the team’s satellite channel. “I won’t play football anymore until these people get justice,” a furious Meteab said. Egypt’s hated police force, which recently came under fire for its heavy-handed tactics, had been given instructions to deal carefully with protesters, sources said.
