Cairo: At least 16 people were killed and hundreds injured in clashes across Egypt as angry protesters took to the streets for the second day on Monday, storming the headquarters of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood and giving an ultimatum to beleaguered President Mohamed Morsi to quit by Tuesday.
In the capital here, thousands of people massed at the iconic Tahrir Square - the epicentre of pro-democracy protests in 2011 - under the banner of Tamarod (Rebellion) movement which is driving the campaign with a petition of signatures seeking 61-year-old Morsi's ouster and a snap election.
Anti-government protesters also stormed the national headquarters of Muslim Brotherhood here. They also ransacked the six-storey building and set it on fire.
State media quoting the country's Health and Population Ministry said the nationwide death toll from June 30 protests stands at 16, with the total number of injuries estimated at 743 in 17 governorates.
"We give Mohamed Morsi until 5 pm (1500 GMT) on Tuesday, July 2, to leave power, allowing state institutions to prepare for early presidential elections," Tamarod said in a statement on its website.
The statement warned that Morsi would face a campaign of civil disobedience if he did not leave power by tomorrow.
Meanwhile, four ministers resigned from the Cabinet on Monday in protest against perceived mishandling of the current political stand-off in the country by Morsi's government, state news agency MENA reported.
Minister of State for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Hatem Begato, Minister of Communications Atef Helmy, Minister of Environment Khaled Fahmy and Tourism Minister Hesham Zazou all resigned, reports said.
Opposition activists claim more than 22 million people in the nation of 84 million have signed the petition and have urged the signatories to come out in Tahrir Square.
Eight people were killed in clashes between opponents and supporters of Morsi here, while three people died in the Assiut province. One each died in the provinces of Fayoum, Beni Sueif and Kafr el-Sheikh. One protester died during a rally outside the presidential palace and another died in Alexandria, the ministry said.
Thousands of ordinary Egyptians - angered by Morsi's policies - also took part in the rallies, described as the biggest protest in the history of Egypt. The crowds seen in the Tahrir Square were the biggest since the 2011 revolution that ousted long time ruler Hosni Mubarak.
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