(We updated the top of this post at 10:25 a.m. ET. For other updates, click here.)
With the Muslim Brotherhood marching in Cairo and other Egyptian cities in a “day of rage” over the deadly crackdown on supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, this week’s alarming body count went higher on Friday.
LIVE VIDEO: Reuters is streaming camera coverage from four locations in Egypt.
“A lot of Egyptians were worried” there would be more bloodshed, NPR Cairo Bureau Chief Leila Fadel said on Morning Edition just after 10:10 a.m. ET, and that’s just what happened. Near Ramses square in Cairo, NPR’s Peter Kenyon told Morning Edition host David Greene, “we’ve seen what looked like at least two or three fatalities” and many injured.
Government forces had been firing tear gas and there were reports of gunshots as well. Around 9:55 a.m. ET, The Associated Press reported that Egyptian officials were saying at least 17 people had been killed so far.
Earlier in the day, Peter said on Morning Edition that there is “a lot of anger and determination on both sides.”
The Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters are not only still upset that Morsi was removed from office by the nation’s military last month, but also are furious about Wednesday’s attacks by security forces on those gathered in pro-Morsi sit-ins. The crackdown left more than 600 people dead and nearly 4,000 injured.
Meanwhile, the military and Egypt’s interim government are saying they will use live ammunition against protesters who attack public property or security personnel.
The grim results of the week’s violence are front and center in this report from NPR’s Cairo bureau chief, Leila Fadel: “Scene From A Cairo Mosque Turned Morgue.”
Some of the morning’s related headlines include:
— “Egypt Braces For Fresh Violence.” (CBS News)
— “Smell Of Death Lingers In Cairo’s Iman Mosque.” (Al Jazeera)
— “Egypt’s Christians Terrified After Church Attacks.” (Agence France-Presse)
10:25 a.m. ET. Thousands Moving Away From Ramses Square:
Earlier on Friday he had seen “thousands of men walking toward Cairo’s Ramses Square,” NPR’s Peter Kenyon just said on Morning Edition. Now, after the sounds of gunfire, clouds of tear gas and some fatalities, “there’s a very large crowd coming back out of the square.”
Some of those in the area, adds NPR’s Leila Fadel, have had to jump from a relatively low bridge to get away.
9:55 a.m. ET. More Than A Dozen Deaths:
Egyptian officials say at least 17 people have been killed so far today, The Associated Press reports.
9:30 a.m. ET. Some Deaths, Some Tear Gas, Some Shots:
There have already been at least a few fatalities today, al-Jazeera reports. Also, on Reuters’ webcast there have been scene of tear gas clouds floating over protesters in Cairo.
NPR’s Leila Fadel reports from Cairo that “we’re hearing gunfire throughout the city.”
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In Egypt: ‘Day Of Rage’ Adds To Body Count
