At least 19 people were killed and more than 160 injured on Sunday when Egyptian security forces clashed with Coptic Christian protesters outside the Egyptian state television building in Cairo, the country's Health Ministry said.
Up to 10,000 Copts took part in a protest, the largest in a series of rallies staged across Egypt in protest against the burning of a Coptic Christian church in the southern province of Aswan on September 30.
The protest turned violent when demonstrators started hurling stones and petrol bombs at riot police and set fire to police cars, witnesses said. Three army officers were killed and at least 20 were injured in clashes, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Alla Mahmoud.
Protest organizers have strongly denied witness reports about protesters opening fire at security personnel. The wounded army officers said their arms had no live ammunition.
The clashes broke out at around 5.00 pm local time (15:00 GMT). Police used tear gas to push the protesters away from the television building. The demonstrators were reported to have blocked several bridges across the River Nile.
Christians account for about 10% of Egypt's 80-million Muslim-majority population, making up the country's largest minority group. Relations between the two communities are frequently darkened by acts of violence, and the Coptic minority repeatedly accuses the authorities of discrimination.
