Violence in Cairo has left up to 23 people dead after Christians protested against an attack on a church in the Egyptian capital.
Egyptian health ministry officials said more than 150 were also injured in the fierce clashes between the Christians and security forces.
The riots on Sunday night spread to Tahrir Square and drew in thousands battling each others with rocks and firebombs.
Protesters tore up pavements to use as ammunition and numerous vehicles were set ablaze.
According to AFP, at least 16 bodies were seen in one Cairo hospital.
Amid scenes of mayhem at the Coptic hospital filled with grieving relatives, a priest named Daud said at least five of those killed were mowed down by an army vehicle.
Other bodies allegedly bore gunshot wounds.
Egypt state television had earlier reported that three soldiers were shot dead and dozens of their comrades were wounded.
The angry Copts had protested after the burning of a church in southern Egypt.
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf appealed to Egypt’s Muslims and Christians not to give in to sectarian strife.
“What is taking place are not clashes between Muslims and Christians but attempts to provoke chaos and dissent,” he said on his Facebook page.
“This is not befitting the children of the homeland who remain and will remain a single hand against the forces of vandalism… and extremism,” the premier said.
Sharaf called on Egyptians “not to give in to sedition because it is a fire which burns up everybody and does not distinguish between us”.
Tahrir Square was the focal point of pro-democracy protests by a cross-section of Egyptian religious affiliations earlier this year, culminating in the overthrow of long-time leader Hosni Mubarak.