Ten people have died and 186 injured in Saturday's sectarian clashes in Imbaba, a northwestern district of Cairo, according to Egypt's Ministry of Health.
Eleven of the injured are in critical condition and had been taken to hospitals in Cairo, said Hisham Shiha, the head of the ministry's therapeutic medicine sector.
He added that when the incidents erupted 50 ambulances headed to the scene, while extra medical teams were provided for nearby hospitals.
Witnesses said that hundreds of Salafi Muslims gathered on Saturday in front of Saint Mina Church in Imbaba calling for the release of an alleged female Muslim convert rumored to have been kidnapped by Christians. The Salafis engaged in verbal exchanges with church guards before the situation developed into a gunfight, involving gasoline bombs, between Christian residents and the Salafis.
The nearby Al-Azraa church also suffered severe damage from firebombs.
It took hours for the police and army to get the situation under control. They blocked the entrances to the area.
The clashes prompted interim Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to postpone a tour of the Gulf states scheduled for Sunday. He called an emergency meeting on the same day to discuss the violence.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
