Egypt body count climbs

2011-12-22 22:46

Cairo - Five straight days of clashes in Cairo between protestors hostile to Egypt's military rulers and security forces have left 17 people dead, the health ministry said on Thursday.

The toll rose on Thursday after two people died from their injuries, health ministry official Hisham Shiha told state television.

Shiha said the 46 people were still being treated in ministry hospitals and an undetermined additional number in military facilities.

The clashes broke out on December 16 between security forces and demonstrators camped since late November in Cairo's administrative heart.

The activists were protesting against the nomination to prime minister of Kamal al-Ganzouri, who previously held the post under the Hosni Mubarak's toppled regime.

Activists have called for a mass rally on Friday, dubbed the "Friday of Restoring Honour", to demand the military hold accountable soldiers responsible for abuses committed during the clashes, which have sparked international outcry.

Voters went to the polls again on Thursday in run-offs for the second stage of staggered parliamentary elections, a landmark vote that has been overshadowed by the protest deaths.

- AFP