Tourists stranded amid Egyptian crisis

HUNDREDS of Irish citizens are attempting to flee Egypt as the country descends further into crisis, sparked by a violent popular revolt.

As large crowds continued to demonstrate their opposition to President Hosni Mubarak’s reign in a sixth day of national protests yesterday, tensions were fuelled by a show of strength by the country’s powerful military.

Minutes before the start of the 4pm curfew, fighter jets made multiple passes over Cairo’s Tahrir (Liberation) Square while there was a significantly increased presence of both army tanks and police — who had been almost unnoticeable for two days — on the ground.