Violence Erupts In Cairo After Football Deaths

Tear gas was fired at protesters as they took to the streets of Cairo following the deaths of at least 74 people at an Egyptian football match.

Hundreds of people were injured as the demonstrators, chanting slogans against the country's ruling military council and the police, tried to force their way to the interior ministry building.

"This was not a sports accident, this was a military massacre!" they shouted.

And a health official has said two protesters have been killed by gunfire in clashes with police in Suez.

About 3,000 people demonstrated in front of police headquarters earlier.

Egypt's security services have been criticised for failing to stop the violence that erupted after a league match in the coastal city of Port Said.

After Port Said's Al Masry won 3-1, supporters armed with knives, sticks and stones swarmed onto the pitch.

Fans and players from Cairo's Al Ahly club were forced to flee for their lives, running towards the exits and up the stands to escape.

State television ran footage of riot police stood in rows as the chaos went on around them.

Thousands of people gathered in Cairo this evening to demand retribution for the deaths.

Some pushed their way towards the interior ministry building, pulling away barbed wire barriers and throwing stones at police.

Many of those injured seem to have been affected by the tear gas. Motorbikes screeched through the crowds carrying those who had collapsed to waiting ambulances, their sirens wailing.

Others were able to stagger away, choking and eyes streaming, before slumping on the pavements as more protesters ran forwards towards the police lines.

One woman, her eyes red and her make-up smeared across her face, told Sky News she had joined the protest to make sure "they don't just kill us all".

"If we're not here they will kill people," she said pointing towards the interior ministry.

Many of the young men determined to join the battle had come ready with masks to protect themselves from the gas. Many waved the flags of the Al Ahly team in a show of solidarity for the dead.

"We want revenge," one said. "Either it will come with the military stepping down or we will take it ourselves," he said.

Tahrir Square itself seemed to be quieter as the chaos erupted in the surrounding streets.

Some wanted to protest peacefully in the place where the revolution started, but others were intent on smashing through the barricades protecting the interior ministry.

Cairo-based Middle East analyst Omar Ashour told Sky News: "They feel that they were victimised by the security services in Port Said and they are coming here to say they want revenge.

"I think there will be very serious political consequences whether on an institutional level in the parliament or on the streets of Cairo."

He said further protests were planned for Friday.

Many Egyptians have accused supporters of Mubarak and the ruling military of provoking the violence in Port Said to show that emergency regulations giving security forces wide powers must be maintained.

Prime Minister Kamal al Ganzuri told an emergency session of parliament that the Egyptian football association's director and board had been sacked, as had Port Said's security chief. The governor of Port Said has also resigned.

However, angry MPs demanded the sacking of interior minister Mohammed Ibrahim, who has been accused of negligence.