Security sources say 58 police officers have been killed by armed militants in Egypt’s Western desert during a raid on a suspected rebel hideout.
The interior ministry says a number of militants also died.
Security forces are said to have been following a lead to a desert hideout used by a group that’s claimed attacks around Cairo targeting judges and police.
Militants then apparently ambushed their convoy using rocket-propelled grenades and explosive devices.
Earlier sources put the number of dead at just over 30.
Egypt accuses the group of being the militant wing of the Muslim Brotherhood which was outlawed in 2013, a claim the Brotherhood denies.
