There was global outrage at the slaughter, which included women and children being burned alive in tents
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Egypt violent clashes (Warning some graphic images)
Hundreds were killed in a horrific massacre in Egypt today – including a British TV cameraman shot dead by a sniper.
The country now stands on the brink of all-out civil war following 24 hours of carnage.
Dad-of-two Mick Deane, 61, was gunned down as he filmed for Sky News in the capital Cairo, capturing the bloody scenes as government troops staged a merciless crackdown on supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
The war zone veteran was hailed a hero today by his stunned colleagues.
One told how he was shot inside the Rabaa al-Adawiya camp, where security forces have been trying to clear pro-Morsi demonstrators.
He said: “Mick was about to lift the camera to his shoulder when a sniper opened fired and killed him instantly.”
There was global outrage at yesterday’s slaughter, which included women and children being burned alive as they cowered in tents.
The country was put on a state of emergency and curfews imposed in major cities as world leaders pleaded for calm.
President Morsi’s party, the Muslim Brotherhood, calimed as many as 2,000 had died.
Tonight the official toll stood at 149, but that is expected to rise dramatically.
One Egyptian medic said: “There are too many bodies to count.”
In Cairo alone more than 140 protesters are believed to have been killed as two protest camps were stormed with armoured bulldozers.
Witnesses said snipers fired on women and children from rooftops.
The first camp at Nahda Square, near Cairo University, was cleared quickly.
Then tens of thousands who had gathered outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in Nasr City were faced with riot police crouching behind armoured vehicles as they moved in at 7am.
Tear gas was fired from the rooftops onto the crowds below and automatic gunfire broke out from both sides.
Desperate residents recited verses from the Koran and screamed “God help us! God help us!”
News cameraman Mick died as he tried to film the horrific events for the world to see – one of six journalists who were reported killed or wounded.
Cameraman Mick Deane who was shot dead covering the clashes in Egypt 'One of the best': Cameraman Mick Deane in action
Sky News/PA
It was feared security forces may be deliberately targeting media reporters in a bid to stifle coverage of the atrocities.
Tim Marshall, Sky’s foreign affairs editor, said: “Mick was a friend, brave as a lion and a wonderful human being.
"He died doing what he had done so brilliantly for decades.”
David Cameron tweeted: “I am saddened to hear of the death of cameraman Mick Deane, covering Egyptian violence. My thoughts are with his family and the Sky News team.”
Mick, who grew up in Northants, had two sons, Ben and Patrick, both in their mid-20s.
They are thought to be in the US while his Italian-American wife, Daneila, 59, lived with him in Jerusalem.
A former CNN journalist, Daneila had often spoken of her fears for Mick once admitting that when he was covering war zones she was “a nervous wreck”.
In the wake of the violence, Vice-President Mohammed El Baradei announced his resignation from the interim government.
The Egyptian military, led by General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, released footage which it claimed showed pro-Morsi followers opening fire on soldiers with automatic weapons.
In a statement, the interim government urged Morsi’s supporters to give up their struggle – saying they would be responsible for any “spilt blood or violence”.
Amazingly they also praised the security forces for their “self restraint” – despite horrified witnesses telling how troops fired indiscriminately into the crowds.
At a morgue near the mosque, the bodies of 29 people, including that of a 12-year-old boy, were laid out.
Most had died of gunshot wounds to the head.
Teacher Saleh Abdulaziz, 39, clutching a head wound, said: “At 7am they came.
"Helicopters from the top and bulldozers from below. They smashed through our walls.
"Police and soldiers, they fired tear gas at children.
“They continued to fire at protesters even when we begged them to stop.”
Student Khaled Ahmed, 20, said: “Tear gas canisters were falling from the sky like rain. There are no ambulances.
“They closed every entrance. There are women and children in there. God help them.
"This is a siege, a military attack on a civilian protest camp.”
Senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed al Beltagy, whose 17-year-old daughter was among those killed, warned that the military was turning Egypt into another Syria. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, part of the pro-Morsi Anti-Coup National
Alliance, said: “This is a tragic day for Egypt.”
He blamed “corrupt elements” in the Egyptian army, describing their actions as a “crime against humanity” and “state terrorism”.
He added: “The whole international community should condemn it and not have any dealings with the coup.”
The Nile Delta cities of Minya and Assiut, and Alexandria on the northern coast, were also hit by violence.
The Egyptian Health Ministry confirmed 35 people were killed in the province of Fayoum. south of Cairo.
Five more were reported dead in Suez and 10 during fierce clashes in Alexandria.
There were no reports of trouble at Egyptian holiday destinations popular with Britons such as Sharm el-Sheikh.
The White House condemned the military crackdown.
Spokesman Josh Earnest said: “The world is watching what is happening in Cairo.
“We urge the government and all parties in Egypt to refrain from violence and resolve their differences peacefully.
US Secretary of State John Kerry added: “Today’s events are deplorable and run counter to Egyptian aspirations for peace and genuine democracy.”
Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the use of force and said he was “deeply concerned” about the escalating violence.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/egypt-h...my-including-2167605
