Cairo (CNN) -- Political tensions flared Wednesday after more than 70 people were killed when fans rushed the field and rioted at a soccer game in Egypt.
It was unclear whether intense sports rivalries or political strife caused the clashes in the northeastern city of Port Said.
Hours after the fighting, protesters in Cairo chanted, "Down with military rule." And the secretary-general of the Muslim Brotherhood party blamed Egypt's military for the deaths.
Egypt's interior ministry blamed fans for provoking police.
A committee will investigate the circumstances surrounding the fighting, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said in a statement early Thursday.
The clashes left at least 74 dead, Egypt's health ministry said in a statement. At least 1,000 people were injured, 150 of them critically, ministry spokesman Dr. Hisham Shiha said. Most of the injured had concussions and deep cuts, he said.
The fighting occurred in a stadium in Port Said after the home Al-Masry team beat Cairo's Al-Ahly team 3-1.
Fans from both sides bashed each other with rocks and chairs, said Mohamed Sultan, head of the ambulance association in Port Said.
Many of those who died fell from bleachers inside the stadium, according to Ahmed Saeed, an official from the Port Said governor's office.
Others suffocated, said Al-Ahly fan Amr Khamis, who returned to Cairo early Thursday with his head bandaged after an Al-Masry fan beat him with a wooden stick.
"The police opened the gates separating us from the Masry fans and their hooligans attack us with everything: rocks, glass bottles, knives, swords. Some had guns. ... How did the police allow them with these weapons into the bleachers?" he said.
Authorities contributed to escalating violence, said Mamdouh Eid, the executive manager of the Al-Ahly fans committee.
"The police stood there watching, and the ambulances arrived late. I carried several dead fans in my arms," he said.
Tension was building throughout the game, Eid said, as Port Said fans threw bottles and rocks at players.
"There were organized groups in the crowds that purposely provoked the police all through the match and escalated the violence and stormed onto the field after the final whistle," said Gen. Marwan Mustapha of Egypt's interior ministry. "Our policemen tried to contain them, but not engage."
At least 47 people were arrested after the clashes, he said.
The interior ministry and the military were not responsible for what happened, Gen. Ismail Osman, a member of Egypt's military council, told Mehwar TV.
"Security is lacking now more than ever before. The government must be more stringent," he said.
Source: CNN
