Prosecution : Disinfectant in water tanks caused #Nile Delta mass poisoning

On Friday, hundreds of residents of Al-Ibrahimiya village in Sharqiya governorate flocked to hospitals suffering from apparent water poisoning

A view of water treatment plant in Egypt

The mass poisoning in Egypt's Sharqiya governorate is due to the fall of disinfectants in drinking water tanks, initial investigations by the prosecution revealed on Monday, As reported.

The head of Al-Ibrahimiya prosecution, Amir Sweillam, requested the remaining reports concerning water samples.

Hundreds of residents of Al-Ibrahimiya village in Sharqiya governorate flocked to hospitals suffering from apparent poisoning as a result of contaminated water last Friday.

On Sunday, out of 761 possible water poisoning cases, eight patients were still being treated, while the others had been discharged from hospitals after recovering, a health ministry official said.

The general prosecution had decided earlier to take samples from drinking water and food scraps from the homes of infected people.

On Saturday, a 51-year old man, suffering from the same symptoms, died in the hospital.

Authorities are currently investigating the outbreak and questioning the local public water company, which has stressed that their water is safe to drink.

Reports of water poisoning are not uncommon in Egypt.

In October 2014, around 100 people were poisoned in a similar incident in Sharqiya. Some blamed the illnesses on the drinking water, but officials at the time said the water was clean.

The poisoning cases come a few days after a barge carrying 500 tons of phosphate capsized in the Nile in Upper Egypt’s Qena governorate after colliding with the foundations of the city's Dandara Bridge.

Egypt’s water and irrigation minister denied Friday that the sicknesses in Sharqiya were connected with the sinking of the barge.

Health Minister Hossam Moghazi stated that the Nile River passes seven cities between Qena and Sharqiya and none of these cities had reported any cases of water poisoning.

Few Egyptians heed calls for 'Islamic revolution'; minor clashes

Low turnout for Islamic protests on Friday in different parts of the country; two security officers and a civilian killed, more than a dozen injured so far

Police stand guard as an army vehicle approaches as they prepare for more possible protests in the eastern suburb of Mataryia, Cairo, November 28, 2014

Few Egyptians heeded a call to carry out an uprising to impose Islamic law and preserve Egypt's "Muslim identity" in planned Friday protests, while militant attacks and clashes killed three.

A limited number of protests kicked off in several governorates across the country, but not much larger than the normal weekly protests staged by supporters of Islamist ousted Mohamed Morsi, who have seen their street presence dwindle amid a police crackdown that has killed hundreds and landed thousands in jail.

Friday's protests were called for by the Salafist Front, a small ultraconservative Islamist group, and were backed by the Muslim Brotherhood.

"The media blew worries about the protests out of proportion. The Islamists definitely failed today," political analyst Amr Hisham Rabei told .

The relative calm of the day was broken by militant attacks as two army officers were killed in drive-by shootings by unknown assailants in Qalioubiya governorate, north of Cairo and Gesr El-Suez in Cairo.

Improvised explosives were also thrown at security forces in the Nile Delta's Sharqiya governorate, injuring two policemen and eight civilians.

Small protests in Cairo and Alexandria turned violent as protesters clashed with police.

A man, 42, was shot dead amid clashes between police and protesters in Cairo's eastern Matariya district, a health ministry spokesman, Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar, told . It is unclear whether the man was taking part in the protests or was passing by, Abdel-Ghaffar said.

Matariya has witnessed near-weekly Friday clashes between Brotherhood supporters and police in the months following Morsi's ouster in July 2013. Last month a child was killed in similar clashes in the district.

Two other officers – one from the police, another from the army – were injured during clashes with Islamist supporters in Alexandria.

The clashes in Cairo and Alexandria were the largest reported. So far, 20 people have been injured nationwide, Abdel-Ghaffar said.

Friday's limited violence occurred despite heightened security measures taken across Egypt in anticipation of the protests, with security forces deployed in major squares and at key buildings.

Many shops closed their doors across the country on Friday and fewer people than usual roamed the streets in the capital and elsewhere.

There were several small demonstrations in the late afternoon to express support to the government in Mansoura and Mahalla in the Nile Delta, as well as Alexandria and Cairo. 

Earlier on Friday, police said they arrested 107 alleged Brotherhood members for intending to carry out acts of violence, As reported.

The figure increased as dozens were rounded up by police during the day.

A police spokesperson said 224 protesters were arrested nationwide.

At least 10 small improvised bombs were defused in four governorates, including Cairo, the police said.

Two sound bombs detonated in highly secured areas of Cairo – in Abdel-Moneim Riad Square, walking distance from Tahrir Square, and near the presidential palace east of Cairo.

Unlike the Brotherhood, several other Islamist groups including the Salafist Nour Party – an ally of the government – and former Brotherhood allies the Wasat Party and Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya movement rejected the demonstrations.

Egypt's Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab on Thursday had declared that Friday would be a "normal day."