At least 53 pro-Morsi protesters killed in Cairo: Brotherhood

The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood says the death toll from the army’s Monday attack on supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi in the capital, Cairo, has risen to 53, with five children among the dead.

The Brotherhood said its supporters were killed when the army attacked a sit-in outside the Republican Guard barracks. It added that snipers targeted protesters attending the sit-in.

The country’s Health Ministry has confirmed the death of at least 40 people.

Dozens of people were wounded and taken to nearby hospitals.

Witnesses say Egyptian troops used live ammunition to disperse the protesters in Nasr City District, eastern Cairo.

The Strong Egypt Party has condemned the killings, saying General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the head of Egypt’s army, is responsible for the deadly incident.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian military said that one officer was killed and 40 wounded after the military compound was attacked by a “terrorist group.”

According to Egypt’s television, protesters are continuing with the sit-in outside the Republican Guard building despite the attack.

Supporters and opponents of Mohamed Morsi remain on the streets as tensions continue to rise across the country.

On Sunday, Morsi’s supporters held demonstrations on Rabia al-Adawiya Square and Al-Nahda Square close to Cairo University, demanding his return to power.

They also erected barricades and set up checkpoints across Cairo, blocking the main road leading to Cairo International Airport.

Anti-Morsi demonstrators gathered in Cairo’s iconic Liberation Square and around the presidential palace.

Opponents of the ousted president also took to the streets in Alexandria on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and in other major cities across the country.

On July 3, General Sisi announced that President Morsi was no longer in office.

The chief justice of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court, Adli Mansour, was sworn in as interim president of Egypt on July 4.