Egypt's police and military stormed a pair of Muslim Brotherhood protest sites in Cairo early on Wednesday morning, leaving several protesters dead and dozens wounded as violence threatened to spill across the city.

The storming of the protest sites, at the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in Nasr City and another one in Nahda square, had been anticipated for more than a week, but came as a surprise when it began at 7am local time.
Armoured vehicles and bulldozers moved in in the early hours

At least 15 people were reportedly killed as security forces moved in, but the Muslim Brotherhood has put the figure at more than 100.

The initial stage of clearing the square seemed to be completed relatively swiftly. Regional television networks were also showing images of collapsed tents and burning tires at both sites, with ambulances on standby at the scene. They were also showing protesters being arrested and led away by the troops.

But within two hours large crowds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters had gathered along Nasr Street, about a kilometer away from the entrance to Rabaa, where hundreds of police and army officers had gathered. Massive reinforcements on both sides kept arriving all morning.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said at least 250 people were killed and over 5,000 injured in a police crackdown on two major protest camps held by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi

Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood supporters run from police in a street leading to Rabaa al-Adawiya protest camp in Cairo on August 14, 2013.