According to latest figures from Egypt’s health ministry, at least 600 people suffered injuries during unrest on Sunday.

At least five people have been killed in clashes in Port Said. Egypt’s army reportedly moved in to stop clashes between protesters and police, sparked by the transfer of prisoners accused of last year’s stadium massacre.

The crowd reportedly attacked the police station at the Suez Canal city with Molotov cocktails and stones. Law enforcements responded with tear gas and birdshot. Army troops were deployed to contain the violence.

Colonel Ali denied reports of clashes between the army and police, saying that army units were deployed in an attempt to stop the violence. “It is completely untrue that armed forces units in Port Said exchanged fired with police forces during the clashes,” Ali wrote.

Three more soldiers, including the Colonel-in-chief of the army unit deployed to Port Said were also injured in clashes, reports Ahram.

Most of those injured suffered teargas inhalation while over 30 people were wounded with birdshot and shrapnel, Ahram online cites Helmy El-Hanafy, a health ministry undersecretary in Port Said.

The fresh wave of violence was sparked by the interior ministry’s decision to transfer the remaining 39 prisoners charged with igniting last year’s deadly stadium clashes in which over 70 football fans were killed to another prison.

Authorities said they were moving the prisoners to ensure security and stability in the city, after this January’s verdicts on the first batch of defendants sparked unprecedented violent protests among the relatives of the accused.

In January, 21 of 73 defendants in the stadium massacre case were sentenced to death. Since then at least 40 people have died in clashes in Port Said.

For several weeks, thousands of people in Port Said have been conducting a general protest demanding justice over the latest deaths and a thorough investigation of last year’s events.

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