Egypt Soccer Riot: How it Started, and How it Ended

The death toll from Wednesday's Egypt's soccer riot is currently at 74 by most reports, but could climb following what is considered the worst disaster from a sport in several years.

According to witnesses in the seaside city of Port Said, fans were stabbed to death while others suffocated in a narrow corridor trying to flee the opposing fans who were armed with weapons.

The match at Port Said Stadium was between Al-Ahly, one of the most successful soccer clubs in Africa, and the host team of Al-Masry. The final score ended in favor of Al-Masry, 3-1, and it sparked a deadly clash after the final whistle, when hundreds of Al-Masry fans dashed across the field to the visitors' stands, and panicking Al-Ahly fans suffocated trying to flee their attackers.

Medical reports showed that most of the fans died due the asphyxiation from bodies being crushed as they fled. Others died while being thrown from the bleachers. There were roughly 1,000 injuries in the melee.

The two clubs are rivals, but there is little history of such extreme violence against one another.

Blame is being directed at the police and security for allowing the Al-Masry fans to be armed, and for not taking adequate steps to quell the riots.

According to the Telegraph, Egypt's Interior Ministry blamed the violence on a section of the crowd that deliberately set out to cause anarchy, a riot, and a stampede.

The riot also harkens back to the unrest surrounding the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. Police brutality was one of the triggers for the uprising, and there remains lingering bad blood between some citizens and law enforcement.

Thousands of angry protesters took to the streets on Thursday blaming Egypt's military junta for the Port Said Stadium deaths, as a revenge against anti-police and military sentiment.

The Christian Science Monitor reported that many Egyptians blame the military for provoking the soccer riots as there have been numerous street demonstrations against police brutality and the military since former President Hosni Mubarak was removed from office.

Here's a video of the soccer riots: