Sexual assaults in Cairo's Tahrir Square 'out of control'

A new wave of sexual assaults, including at least one gang rape, has been reported during anti-government protests in Cairo's central Tahrir Square, as millions of Egyptians take to the streets to demand the ousting of President Mohammed Mursi.

A vigilante group formed to protect women in the square, which has become the epicentre of anti-government rallies, said it recorded 46 sexual assaults by mobs of men on Sunday alone. A Dutch woman was gang-raped when a crowd surrounded her in Tahrir Square on Friday, as protests by Mursi's supporters and opponents got under way.

During daylight on Sunday, most protesters were festive as families with small children and others spilled into side streets and across boulevards, waving flags, blowing whistles and chanting.

But the atmosphere became less friendly in Tahrir as night fell on the badly lit plaza, which became notorious for sex attacks during the 18-day revolution that forced the resignation of Mursi's predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, in 2011. Sexual harassment has long been common in Egypt, but its increasing frequency and violence has shaken the protest movement.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said the Dutch woman was repatriated, referring to a statement issued by the Dutch embassy in Cairo.

A security official said the prosecutor's office had launched an investigation into the attack.