Close to 300 now dead

Cairo, Egypt (AP):

At least 297 people have been killed since Egypt's anti-government uprising began two weeks ago, United States-based Human Rights Watch told The Associated Press yesterday.

The count is based on visits to seven hospitals in Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez that included interviews with doctors and morgue inspections, said the group's Cairo researcher, Heba Morayef.

Egypt's health ministry has not given a comprehensive death toll, though a ministry official said they are trying to compile one.

The revolt against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that erupted January 25 brought days of fierce clashes. Protesters have clashed with police who fired live rounds, tear gas, and rubber bullets and fought pitched street battles for two days with gangs of pro-Mubarak supporters who attacked their main demonstration site in Cairo's central Tahrir Square.

The violence has spread to other parts of Egypt and the toll includes 65 deaths outside the capital Cairo.

Morayef said the count is preliminary and is expected to rise. She said a majority of deaths were caused by live fire and in most cases, doctors were reluctant to release names. She said she did not have a breakdown of how many of the dead were protesters.

The researcher said she counted 232 deaths in Cairo, including 217 who were killed through January 30, and an additional 15, who were killed in clashes between government supporters and opponents in Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the protests, on February 2 and 3.