One protester was killed and 12 others were injured on Sunday as security forces clashed with protesters staging a sit-in against the expansion of the MAPCO-Agrium fertilizer plant in Damietta.
Confrontations began on Saturday night and continued into early Sunday morning. Security forces used tear gas bombs to disperse protesters.
Sunday marked the sixth day of the sit-in, with local protesters blocking roads leading to Ras al-Barr, Damietta harbor, New Damietta and the Mansoura western road. Protesters have been demaning the relocation of the fertilizer plant, which they say will cause pollution through toxic waste.
Damietta public hospital received the body of Islam Amin abdullah, who was killed in the clashes. He was then transferred to a mortuary, as his family refused to bury him before a post mortem has been conducted.
Traffic along the Damietta corniche was blocked by the clashes, while several governmental institutions allowed employees to go home early for security reasons.
Major General Ibrahim Feleifal, head of the Damietta Harbor Authority, expressed concerns that the incidents might result in losses to the Egyptian economy.
Around 22 ships loaded with goods have been waiting outside the harbor since the eruption of the crisis, he added. Another 20 ships inside the harbor have yet to be unloaded.
On Saturday, Governor Mohamed Feleifal failed to convince the citizens to end their protest and reopen the seaport road. The protesters urged interim Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to officially order the factory to be relocated.
Security forces had been instructed to disperse the protesters through negotiation rather than by force, a security source said.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
