73 dead in Egypt soccer riots

CAIRO: At least 73 people were killed and 1,000 injured in a riot at a soccer match in the Egyptian city of Port Said, the worst disaster in the country’s soccer history, health officials said.

“This is unfortunate and deeply saddening. It is the biggest disaster in Egypt’s soccer history,” deputy health minister Hesham Sheiha told state television. The game was between Al Ahli, one of Egypt’s most successful clubs, and al-Masry, a team based in Port Said. Live television footage showed fans running onto the field and chasing Ahli soccer players, throwing rocks, bottles and fireworks at the Al-Ahly fans

Some of the deaths were the result of stab wounds, the doctors said. A security official said the violence erupted as soon as the referee blew the final whistle in the match between Al-Ahly and Al-Masri clubs.

Meanwhile in the capital, a fire broke out at Cairo Stadium during the first half of a match between Zamalek and Ismaili clubs, prompting officials to cancel the match. Emergency services have managed to control the blaze, a security official said. The military also flew in helicopters.

Egypt’s state prosecutors have ordered an investigation into the pitch invasion and the violence that ensued, judicial sources said. Egypt’s football federation indefinitely delayed premier league matches after the violence. Egypt’s parliament would hold an emergency session on Thursday, according to state media reports.