Written by
The Associated Press
CAIRO - Wednesday's soccer violence in Egypt is the world's deadliest in more than 15 years. Officials say fans rushed onto the field after the home team won an unexpected victory over Egypt's top team, setting off clashes and a stampede that left at least 74 people dead. One-thousand others are reported injured.
Witnesses say home-team fans threw sticks and stones as they chased players and fans from the rival team, who ran toward the exits to escape. State TV shows the visiting players rushing for their locker room as fist fights broke out among the hundreds of fans swarming onto the field.
Some men rescued a manager from the losing team as he was being beaten. Police officers stood by, appearing overwhelmed.
State TV reports the casualty toll, citing a health ministry official. A medic at the local morgue gave the same figures, and said some of the dead were security officers.
Egypt's state prosecutor has ordered an immediate investigation.
It's the deadliest incident of soccer violence since 1996, when at least 78 people died in a stampede at a stadium in Guatemala before a World Cup qualifying match.
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