109 of those killed in violence since June 30 remain unidentified

One hundred and nine unidentified bodies are lying in Cairo’s Zeinhom Morgue, results of the June 30 protests and the ensuing events, according to Hisham Abdel Hamid, spokesperson for the Forensic Medicine Department, Al-Ahram reported.

Abdel Hamid told the state-run newspaper that at one point there were 122 unidentified bodies, but eight were eventually identified and five were buried after DNA tests failed to help with their identification.

He added that a second list of the deaths resulted from the forced dispersal of the sit-ins at Rabea al-Adaweya and Nahda Square 14 August is being prepared. The list will also include members of the police who have died since June 30. 

This initiative, Abdel Hamid said, is a response to remarks made by veteran Muslim Brotherhood member Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who claimed there had been no deaths in police ranks.

The Cabinet initially placed the death toll at 137, plus 57 policemen were killed.

Since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi on July 3, sporadic incidents of violence have engulfed the country, resulting in the thousands of deaths, largely in the two sit-in dispersals.