(We updated the top of this post at 4:50 p.m. ET. For other updates, click here.)
With the Muslim Brotherhood marching in Cairo and other Egyptian cities in a "day of rage" over the deadly crackdown on supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, this week's alarming body count went higher on Friday.
"A lot of Egyptians were worried" there would be more bloodshed, NPR Cairo Bureau Chief Leila Fadel said on Morning Edition, and that's just what happened.
Government forces fired tear gas and there were reports of gunshots as well. Around 3 p.m. ET, The Associated Press reported that Egyptian security officials were saying at least 60 people had been killed so far — 52 civilians and eight police officers. By 4:30 p.m. ET, Reuters was saying that "around 50 people had been killed in Cairo alone on Friday." As 4:50 p.m. ET, al-Jazeera had the death toll as "at least 95." (News outlets' figures will vary because of the danger and difficulty of reporting on the day's events and getting reliable information from authorities.)
Earlier in the day, NPR's Peter Kenyon said on Morning Edition that there is "a lot of anger and determination on both sides."
The Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters are not only still upset that Morsi was removed from office by the nation's military last month, but also are furious about Wednesday's attacks by security forces on those gathered in pro-Morsi sit-ins. The crackdown left more than 600 people dead and nearly 4,000 injured.
Meanwhile, the military and Egypt's interim government are saying they will use live ammunition against protesters who attack public property or security personnel.
The grim results of the week's violence are front and center in this report from NPR's Cairo bureau chief, Leila Fadel: "Scene From A Cairo Mosque Turned Morgue."
Some of the morning's related headlines include:
-- "Egypt Braces For Fresh Violence." (CBS News)
-- "Smell Of Death Lingers In Cairo's Iman Mosque." (Al Jazeera)
-- "Egypt's Christians Terrified After Church Attacks." (Agence France-Presse)
UPDATES
4:50 p.m. ET. At Least 60, Possibly More Than 95 Dead:
The Associated Press quotes security officials as saying "at least 60" people have been killed in Friday's violence, while al-Jazeera says it's "at least 95" dead with "hundreds injured."
1:15 p.m. ET. 80 Dead?
"In the worst of the violence, a correspondent for Al Jazeera said at least 80 people were killed and hundreds injured in Cairo's Ramses Square on Friday as anti-coup protesters were fired on by government forces." The BBC is reporting that "at least 38 people have been killed in Egypt, officials say."
"It appears a lot of people have died in there," NPR's Leila Fadel says of that square in Cairo. "It's completely chaotic at this point."
11:30 a.m. ET. Death Toll Rises:
According to Reuters, "at least 27 people were killed in Cairo on Friday during a protest by supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi, said a Reuters witness who counted their bodies. The bodies were laid out in a mosque near the protest in Ramses Square."
10:25 a.m. ET. Thousands Moving Away From Ramses Square:
Earlier on Friday he had seen "thousands of men walking toward Cairo's Ramses Square," NPR's Peter Kenyon just told Morning Edition. Now, after the sounds of gunfire, clouds of tear gas and some fatalities, "there's a very large crowd coming back out of the square."
Some of those in the area, adds NPR's Leila Fadel, have had to jump from a relatively low bridge to get away.
9:55 a.m. ET. More Than A Dozen Deaths:
Egyptian officials say at least 17 people have been killed so far today, The Associated Press reports.
9:30 a.m. ET. Some Deaths, Some Tear Gas, Some Shots:
There have already been at least a few fatalities today, Al Jazeera reports. Also, on Reuters' webcast there have been scene of tear gas clouds floating over protesters in Cairo.
NPR's Leila Fadel reports from Cairo that "we're hearing gunfire throughout the city."
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