At least a dozen people have been killed in fresh clashes in Egypt as anti-coup protesters returned to the streets to demand the end of the military-led regime, news agencies are reporting.
The Reuters news agency said eight protesters had been killed in the city of Damietta, while four were killed in clashes with security forces in the Egyptian city of Ismailia, noth east of Cairo.
Crowds calling for the return of deposed president Mohamed Morsi filled streets on Friday to heed the Muslim Brotherhood's call for a "Day of Rage" following the deaths of hundreds of protesters as police cleared sit-ins two days earlier.
A protester, Ahmed Tohami told, Al Jazeera that there was "blood in the streets" as police fired at protesters around the October 6 bridge in Cairo. Tear gas and bullets were fired at marches he said, as what sounded like gun fire could be heard in the background.
"Old man, young ladies, women, all under attack. The kids here on the bridge - we are under attack, there is no way down. Hundreds of thousands of us are on the bridge. They are attacking us from behind. We have nowhere to go," he said live on Al Jazeera.
Other marches
Al Jazeera's Simon McGregor Wood, reporting from Nasr City, said that there were reports that police also fired tear gas at protesters in the city of Tanta.
He said that protesters have turned out in large numbers to heed the call to rally by the Anti-Coup Alliance, lead by the Muslim Brotherhood, but that many protests appeared to be calm.
McGregor Wood said he was struck by the amount of people that had turned out in Nasr City.
The protesters are marching in the face of warnings by authorities that security forces would use deadly force if provoked. Army commanders gave warning that troops would fire at anyone who attacked government buildings.
The Interior Ministry ordered its forces to use live ammunition when dealing with any attacks on security forces or building institutions, citing its legal right to defence.
PHOTO CAPTION
A poster for Egypt's deposed president Mohamed Mursi is seen outside the burnt Rabaa Adawiya mosque, after the clearing of a protest which was held around the mosque, in Cairo, August 15, 2013.
Al-Jazeera