At
least 73 people were killed in clashes between rival fans following a
football match in the Egyptian city of Port Said, state television
reported.
The deaths occurred as supporters invaded the pitch after a match between top-tier clubs Masry and Al-Ahly on Wednesday.
It is feared the death toll could rise as about 1,000 people were hurt.
It is the biggest disaster in the country’s football history, said the Egyptian deputy health minister.
“This is unfortunate and deeply saddening,” Hesham Sheiha told state television.
Some of the dead were security officers, the Associated Press news agency quoted a morgue official as saying.
The BBC’s Jon Leyne in Cairo said it appeared some fans had taken knives into the stadium.
He said the lack of the usual level of security in the stadium might have contributed to the clashes.
Police in Egypt have been keeping a much lower
profile since last year’s popular protests that ousted President Hosni
Mubarak from power.
Egyptian fans are notoriously violent, particularly supporters of Al-Ahly, who are known as the Ultras.
They have been heavily implicated in the political confrontations recently, the report added.
Football fans in Egypt can be violent, and certainly there is a bitter rivalry between these two teams.
The Al-Ahly fans have a particular reputation for violence.
But lately they have been at the forefront of clashes with the police.
Wednesday’s violence broke out at the end of the match, which, unusually, Port Said side Masry won 3-1.
As the match ended, their fans flooded onto the pitch attacking Ahly players and fans.
A small group of riot police tried to protect the players, but were overwhelmed.
Part of the stadium was set on fire.
Helicopters were sent to Port Said to transport injured fans.
“This is not football. This is a war and people are dying in front of us,” Al-Ahly player Mohamed Abo Treika said.
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