Photo: Xinhua/STR Cairo — At least 30 people died Saturday in Port Said, officials say, in clashes sparked by the sentencing to death of 21 local people over football riots in Egypt.
Two soccer players are among the killed, according to director of hospitals in the Mediterranean city.
Dr. Abdel-Raham Farah says Mahmoud Abdel-Halim al-Dizawi, a soccer player in Port Said's Al-Marikh club, was shot three times and died.
He says Tamer al-Fahla, a soccer player who used to play for the city's main Al-Masry team, was also shot dead on his way to Al-Marikh club, which is located near the prison.
Supporters of the 21 defendants, sentenced over riots which killed 74 people after a football game at Port Said stadium last February, tried to storm the prison holding them and attacked police stations.
Security officials say most were killed in assaults on the governor's office, courthouse and prison after the sentence was handed down. They say two policemen also were shot to death outside the city's main prison.
Saturday's violence follows a day of unrest on the second anniversary of the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak.
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It seems like the very fabric of Egyptian society is coming part. There is no political consensus on any issue. Divisiveness rules the day and people have no qualms about taking to streets and engaging in acts of violence. The elections did not serve as an event that rallied the people into supporting “one Egypt standing together, etc…” President Morsi’s attempt to grab absolute power did not help matters. I fear that the country is heading down a path to prolong civil unrest and political stalemate.