Subscribe
The Daily Grind Video
CLOSE

Riots erupted in Cairo, Egypt early Sunday morning between security forces and supporters of Egypts former President Mohammed Morsi.

So far, at least 38 supporters of Morsi were killed in the clash and an overwhelming number of protesters were injured and fled to hospitals in the area.

According to the Associated Pressthe conflict further set back any hopes the country had of political reconciliation.

The incident is being described by leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood as a massacre as the military looked to crack down on such rallies and supporters of Morsi and his allies.

The incident occured after hundreds of pro-Morsi supporters moved from their encampment outside a Mosque late Friday. One group set up tents where they had planned to sleep for three days according to Mahmoud Zaqzouq, a Brotherhood spokesperson.
 

Another group of protesters marched toward an overpass where they encountered police and were attacked with tear gas. The demonstrators retalliated, throwing rocks at police forces.

The Huffington Post reported:

The Interior Ministry, which oversees the police force, said in a statement that residents in the Cairo neighborhood where the Brotherhood sit-in is located began clashing with marchers, whose protest was cutting off a major artery. The ministry says police intervened to break up the two sides by firing tear gas.

While there are conflicting accounts about who instigated the violence, there is no doubt that the confrontation quickly turned bloody. At first, doctors said half a dozen were killed in the clashes, mostly by birdshots and some live ammunition. At the crack of dawn, the pace of casualties picked up and a nearby field hospital was unable to cope with the influx, according to Yehia Mikkia, a doctor at the makeshift facility.

Check out some of the graphic photos above.

Photo credit: Getty.