CAIRO: Two Muslims were killed and eight injured in what started out as an altercation over a speed bump, and turned into a sectarian conflict on Tuesday in Abo Korkas city, Minya.
As clashes escalated between a Muslim family and a Coptic one, the armed forces imposed a curfew in the city, from 11 pm to 6 am, and arrested 25 from both sides.
Police trucks roamed the city, urging residents to commit to the curfew after clashes led to the death of Ali Abdel Kader, 48, and Meabed Abo Zeid, 40.
Eyewitnesses told Daily News Egypt that the clashes started when the two families fought over three speed bumps built by Alaa Rida Roushdy, National Democratic Party candidate for the 2010 parliamentary elections and member of the Coptic family, in front of his house.
The Muslim family removed the speed bumps but Roushdy rebuilt them, which led to a conflict between the two families that quickly turned deadly.
After the funeral of the two Muslims, a number of Muslim mourners burned homes and shops owned by Copts.
Police and armed forces imposed a security cordon around the city, closing off entry and exit points to avoid other clashes among residents, while some residents blocked the Cairo-Aswan road Wednesday morning for half an hour, in protest against the violence.
Armed forces arrested 25 people from both sides and confiscated arms owned by the city’s residents.
Medics in the Minya General Hospital told Daily News Egypt that the hospital received eight injured, mainly caused by live shots and heavy sticks.
