Dozens dead as deadline looms

As the horror of bloodshed in Cairo drew reactions from throughout the world on Saturday, Egyptian Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said the army would soon act to disperse pro-Morsi demonstrations.

Ibrahim said there would soon be "coordination with the army to end the two sit-ins in accordance with the law."

"This will take place very soon," he added, hinting at a pending deadline.

The health ministry said 72 people were killed in clashes in Cairo Saturday, with hundreds more injured. Nine others died in violence in Egypt's second city Alexandria on Friday, bringing the two-day death toll to 81.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said at least 200 were killed in clashes. An official accused the Brotherhood of exaggerating the death toll to suit its political purposes.

More than 4,000 have been reported injured in the violence.

The army has accused the Brotherhood and Morsi of inciting violence since they ousted the former president on July 3. The Brotherhood has called the ousting a coup.

Morsi is facing charges of conspiring with Hamas to perpetrate "hostile acts" during the uprising against his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, in 2011. He is currently being held by the military.

The blame game

The latest fighting erupted after Morsi supporters tried to block the October 6 bridge early Saturday. The bloodshed also came hours after army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, who led the coup that ousted Morsi, called for support to crack down on "terrorism."

The Brotherhood claims the army opened fire in an attempt to clampdown on the protests.

"Innocent blood was spilled," Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Ahmed Aref said. "We have gone back 10 years."

Interior Minister Ibrahim, meanwhile, said that police fired tear gas only to disperse the crowds who had set tires ablaze in an attempt to block the bridge. General Hany Abdel Latif insisted that police "did not use more than tear gas" and accused the Islamists of firing on security forces and wounding 14 policemen.

Witnesses said many of those killed were shot by snipers, and medical staff at a makeshift hospital reported most of the dead had been shot in the head or chest.

Despite threats to clamp down on the Brotherhood if it does not halt the demonstrations, Morsi supporters are not retreating and have instead vowed to keep protesting until he is restored to power.

World reaction

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Saturday that she "deeply deplores" the deaths in Cairo and urged all sides to end the bloodshed.

US Secretary of State, John Kerry, meanwhile, said on Saturday that Egypt's security forces must respect the rights of peaceful protesters.

"At this critical juncture, it is essential that the security forces and the interim government respect the right of peaceful protest, including the ongoing sit-in demonstrations," Kerry said.

tm,hc/ch (AFP, Reuters, dpa)