| 02 February 2012
Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Alistair Burt today expressed the grief felt by his country when he described the violence at a football stadium in Port Said, Egypt on 1 February as shocking and saddening.
Vigilance gathered that at least 74 people were killed in the violence which broke out at the end of a football match between al-Masry and al-Ahly.
Speaking today the Foreign Office Minister said: “We were deeply shocked and saddened by the scenes of violence at a football stadium in Port Said last night. Our thoughts are with the families of those who were injured or lost their lives. We understand that the Egyptian Parliament is holding an emergency session and Field Marshal Tantawi has announced three days of national mourning in Egypt. We urge the Egyptian authorities to set up a transparent enquiry to uncover the causes of the tragedy and hold those responsible to account.”
Meanwhile, amid worldwide condemnation of the violence which many thought could have been prevented had the relevant Egyptian Authorities put the necessary security measures in place, the Egyptian Government has declared three days of mourning.