CAIRO, January 28 (RIA Novosti) - Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has declared a state of emergency in three cities along the Suez Canal where violent riots killed dozens of people in the last three days.
“I order to save human lives, provide security of citizens and counter all violators of law, I decided to declare a state of emergency in Port Said, Suez and Ismailia for 30 days starting on midnight,” Morsi said in a televised address to the nation on Sunday.
Dozens have died and hundreds have been injured in clashes between police and soccer fans in Egyptian cities of Port Said, Ismailia and Suez on Saturday. Four more people were killed and more than 400 others were injured after tens of thousands of mourners attended a mass funeral in Port Said on Sunday.
The president added that a daily curfew will be also in force during the month-long state of emergency from 9:00 p.m. and until 6:00 a.m.
The violence erupted on Friday after a court handed down death sentences to all 21 defendants in a trial that is part of the high-profile case of the so-called “Port Said tragedy,” Egypt’s worst-ever football fans clash and stampede that left at least 72 people dead and another 254 injured last February.
