Death Toll In Egypt’s Port Said Reaches 48

The number of those killed in sporadic violence in the Egyptian coastal city of Port Said since in January has reached 48, after a 24-year-old man was pronounced dead on Saturday.

Mahmoud Farouk was hit on the head by a teargas canister during violence earlier this month, causing a skull fracture. He was taken to El-Ahrar Hospital where he later died.

Violent clashes first erupted between citizens and police in Port Said on 26 January, when 21 people, most Port Said residents, were sentenced to death after being found guilty of involvement in the killing of over 70 Ahly football club fans at a Port Said football match between local side Masry and Ahly in February 2012.

Clashes continued intermittently as protests against President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, the group he hails from, flared up across the canal city.

On Thursday, Morsi said the rights of “martyrs” killed in Port Said are guaranteed pending investigations, responding to repeated calls in the city to provide compensation to the victims’ families.

Ahram