At least 235 people were killed and over 2,000 got injured in clashes across Egypt after police started to disperse supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi at two major sit-in sites, an official said Wednesday.
"The death toll across the country rises to 235, including 43 policemen," Xinhua quoted health ministry spokesperson Mohamed Fatah-Allah as saying.
Egypt's Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said: "The protesters were given complete opportunity for diplomatic solution, but in vain."
"We cleared up the sit-ins with the least losses," he added.
The Egyptian security forces Wednesday started the clean up operation at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in Cairo's Nasr City and Nahda Square in Giza. The pro-Morsi protesters had been sitting in there for some 45 days.
