60 dead as protesters and police personnel clash in Egypt

Cairo, Aug 17 :As protesters loyal to the ousted President Mohammed Morsi clashed with security forces in

, at least 60 people were killed, reported BBC citing officials.

Most of the reported deaths were in Cairo, though about 25 were killed elsewhere, including 12 in Nile Delta cities.

Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party declared on Friday a week of daily rallies across Egypt.

Two days ago the protesters' camps were cleared, leaving at least 638 dead that sparked international condemnation.

The interior ministry, in the light of Wednesday's violence, said police had been authorized to use live ammunition "within a legal framework".

A state of emergency is also in force, including a dusk-to-dawn curfew.

Egypt has been rocked by massive protests since the ouster of the country's first democratically elected President Morsi by the military on July 3. The Muslim Brotherhood-backed the president and is being held incommunicado at a secret location.

The army-backed Egyptian government led by interim President Adly Mansour cracked down on the sit-ins by tens of thousands of Morsi supporters on Wednesday which led to violence and hundreds of deaths.

IANS