The Associated Press reports that the death toll in Egypt is nearing 700, amid demonstrations conducted by what the outlet describes as “tens of thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters” calling for the reinstatement of the country’s Muslim Brotherhood-linked former president Mohammed Morsi. Official numbers released by the Egyptian Health Ministry last night had at least 638 dead and nearly 4,000 injured.
The BBC yesterday described Egyptian TV footage showing firefighters attempting to rescue employees from a government building near Cairo that had been stormed and set on fire by Brotherhood members. Seven Egyptian soldiers were shot and killed in the Sinai Peninsula.
Arabic media oultets characterized ongoing attacks on Christians as “frenzied”:
Churches across Egypt came under frenzied attack… Incensed by the bloody crackdown that has claimed more than 500 lives, Morsi loyalists allegedly orchestrated nationwide assaults on Christian targets Wednesday, wreaking havoc on churches, homes, and Christian-owned businesses throughout the country.
Coptic rights group the Maspero Youth Union (MYU) estimated that as many as 36 churches were “completely” devastated by fire across nine Egyptian governorates, including Minya, Sohag and Assiut — home to large Coptic communities. The group, alongside media reports, said that many other churches were looted or stormed in ensuing street violence Wednesday. Egypt’s interior ministry told reporters in Cairo Wednesday that at least seven churches had been vandalised or torched by suspected Islamists
Egyptian officials have declared a state of emergency, and police officers have been given the authorization to use deadly force.
President Barack Obama spoke on the crisis yesterday. While acknowledging that Morsi’s government “was not inclusive and did not respect the views of all Egyptians,” the President “strongly condemned” the army-backed interim government for cracking down on pro-Morsi elements and announced the cancellation of a joint military exercise with the Egyptian military.
The Guardian described the president’s stance as “lead[ing] muted international condemnation” to the crackdown.