Cairo, Sept. 13 (Xinhua-ANI): At least 30 people were injured in clashes in front of the U.S. embassy in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, the state TV reported on Thursday, quoting Egypt's Health Ministry.
16 protesters and 14 security personnel, including three officers and 11 soldiers, were injured at the scene, the report added.
The Egyptian Ambulance Authority said most injuries are being treated on the spot and are in stable conditions, but about seven protesters have been transferred to the neighboring governmental hospitals.
A police vehicle was set ablaze by the protesters, and the clashes show no sign of an end any time soon.
The protesters have closed the roads leading to the embassy from Tahrir Square, downtown Cairo.
Central security forces used tear gas to disperse the protesters who threw stones and bottles at the security members protecting the embassy.
The U.S. embassy announced the closing of the visa department on Thursday. All appointments with regard to the visa services are cancelled. Just very few employees are in the embassy to finish some urgent works.
The embassy added that only emergency services for U.S. citizens are working on its website.
In Tahrir square, government services were disrupted in " Mogamaa," an important government facility near the U.S. embassy as the teargas used by the police and the chaos overwhelming the area have forced many officials to leave.
On Wednesday, the Egyptian government denounced the movie " Innocence of Muslims" as offensive to Prophet Mohammed and immoral, and assigned the Egyptian embassy in Washington to take necessary legal procedures against the filmmaker.
Several thousands of Egyptians on Tuesday surrounded the U.S. embassy in protest of the movie that the Muslim community deems insulting to Prophet Mohammed.
The movie infuriated the Muslim communities worldwide and in particular sparked protests and assaults against the U.S. diplomatic missions in Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Tunis, which killedfour U.S. diplomats in Libya. (Xinhua-ANI)
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