The death toll from the violence engulfing Egypt rose Thursday to more than 600, as supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi vowed to continue their protests despite a crackdown by the military-backed government.

At least 638 people were killed and 3,994 injured in clashes ignited Wednesday when security forces broke up two sit-ins by protesters loyal to Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood, according to a Health Ministry official quoted by Egypt’s Al Ahram newspaper. The dead, mostly Morsi supporters, include at least 43 police officers.

But it remains difficult to dig out the real number of deaths and injuries due to conflicting sources as well as incessant clashes across the country.

A medical source told Xinhua on Thursday that at least 550 people might have been killed in the clashes.

"There are 300 dead bodies at Iman Mosque, 14 others at Zinhom Morgue, three unknown bodies at Heliopolis Hospital, four at the One-Day Surgery Hospital, 43 bodies at the Medical Insurance Hospital and 190 bodies at Nasser Institute Hospital, all in Cairo, " Samar Suweilam, a surgeon at Qasr al-Aini, Cairo's largest public hospital, told Xinhua at Iman Mosque, where dozens of shrouded dead bodies were lined up to be prepared for burial.

Suweilam said most of them were killed by gun shots and burning.

For its part, the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, alleged that some 2,000 pro-Morsi protesters were killed in the security forces' dispersal, while its followers have started to gather at other venues in the city and blocked roads.

The Egyptian security forces started Wednesday dawn the evacuation operation at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in Cairo's Nasr City and Nahda Square in Giza. Pro-Morsi protesters had been sitting in there for some 45 days.

After Wednesday's deadly clashes, Egypt announced a state of emergency nationwide for one month and imposed curfew on a number of turmoil governorates.

Moreover, Egypt's interim Vice President for International Relations, Mohamed ElBaradei, offered his resignation after the violence, saying he is no longer able to bear responsibility for any drop of blood or decisions he does not agree with and that he is quite concerned about their consequences.

On Thursday, the police in the coastal city of Alexandria said they have arrested 48 defendants involved in riot in the city following Wednesday's dispersal of pro-Morsi sit-ins elsewhere in the country.

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