CAIRO — Angry supporters of Egypt’s ousted president have stormed and torched two buildings housing the local government in Giza, the city next to Cairo that is home to the famed pyramids.

Associated Press reporters saw the buildings — a two-story colonial style villa and a four-story administrative building — set ablaze today (Aug 15).

The Giza government offices are located on the Pyramids Road on the west bank of the River Nile.

State TV blamed supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi for the fire. Its footage shows both structures burning with fire men evacuating employees from the larger building.

Tamarod, the youth movement that organised the mass rallies preceding Mr Morsi’s ouster on July 3, called for the creation of popular committees to protect government and private property.

Separately, a spokesman for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and its allies said they suffered a strong blow from the state security crackdown, their central coordination has been lost and the bloodshed means anger is now “beyond control”.

Mr Gehad El-Haddad also said two of the group’s leaders were shot when police raided the two protest camps in Cairo.

The bloodshed has made it more difficult for the Brotherhood to persuade its members to stick to peaceful resistance, he said. “After the blows and arrests and killings that we are facing emotions are too high to be guided by anyone,” he said.

Mr El-Haddad, who spoke to Reuters by Skype and said his movement was restricted because of security checkpoints, could not account for the whereabouts of Brotherhood leaders.

“We can’t confirm the whereabouts of all of them yet. Two of the top leaders have been shot but are not dead as far as I know. About six of them have lost their sons and daughters,” he said. “It’s a bad blow, a very strong blow.”

He added: “It’s not about Morsi anymore. Are we going to accept a new military tyranny in Egypt or not?”

He said the death toll was eight or nine times bigger than the official toll of about 500. AGENCIES