One protester was killed by a shotgun blast Friday as police forces attempted to disperse a crowd trying to break into the Interior Ministry in Cairo, a medical official said.
Mohamed Sultan, the head of the Egyptian Ambulance Organization, has told the state-owned Middle East News Agency that the man died after being hit in the chest by shotgun pellets.
Egyptians have demonstrated countrywide over the last few days after a stampede and riots following a football match in Port Said left 74 dead and hundreds injured. The total number of injuries in protests in Cairo, Suez and Port Said over the last two days has risen to 1,690, Sultan added.
Dr. Ayman Ahmed, who is manning a field hospital in Tahrir Square, confirmed the Cairo man's death. The pellets pierced the man's lung and he was in poor condition before being sent to the hospital, Ahmed told the privately owned Youm7 news website.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim told the private CBC satellite channel in a phone interview Thursday that police are only using tear gas against the demonstrators.
However, Ahmed said his field hospital has received four people injured by shotgun pellets. Nearly 90 protesters taken in were having difficulty breathing, he added.
In Suez, the Health Ministry reported Friday that two protesters were shot and killed during anti-military protests. They were shot by police while attempting to break into the Suez police station, state TV reported on Friday.
In Cairo, 1,482 injuries were reported and 323 people were sent to the hospital. Suez reported 207 injuries.
