Photo Gallery Egypt's Tragedy
A view of the aftermath of the violence that consumed parts of the Egyptian capital on Wednesday, when security forces resorted to violence to clear two sit-in protest camps. The death toll, according to a New York Times report citing Egyptian officials, has climbed to around 525. The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, meanwhile, is claiming a far higher figure of 2,000 dead.
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi have been protesting in Egypt for weeks now following the military takeover at the beginning of July that removed the country's first democratically elected leader.
A government spokesperson said that the death toll in the crackdown on the two pro-Morsi protest vigils in the north-eastern and southern parts of the capital was 289.
People mourn over the bodies of their relatives at a mosque in the Nasr City quarter of Cairo. It is doubtful whether it will ever be clear how many people lost their lives on this bloodiest day in Egypt's recent history.
A man is seen walking through the burned out Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque encampment, which was cleared by security forces on Wednesday.
A man walks through the debris at the nearby Rabaa al-Adawiya square.
The smaller camp -- Nahda, near Cairo University -- was cleared within a matter of hours on Wednesday. Now only shreds of torn-down tents remain.
An Egyptian man rides a motorcycle featuring a poster of General al-Sisi, Egypt's Defense Minister. The man is helping to clear up the debris.
This woman is mourning the death of her daughter, according to photo agency AFP. Due to the exceedingly chaotic situation on the ground, there are conflicting reports about the exact death toll.
Government employees are working hard to clear the debris on the site of the largest protest camp in the district of Nasr City, which was cleared by security forces on Wednesday.
On Thursday, members of international community intensified diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis. This image shows a man helping one of the wounded on Wednesday.
The police force is now dealing with a number of smaller sit-ins across the Egyptian capital.
