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Cairo hospital: Ambulances rolling nonstop; menacing crowd outside

By Arwa Damon, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • CNN Correspondent Arwa Damon travels to a Cairo hospital after Wednesday's clashes
  • A doctor tells her medics had to hide in ambulances attacked by pro-Mubarak forces
  • A crowd outside the hospital shouts "no media"
  • "They don't want this to be seen," the doctor says
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(CNN) -- The late-night streets are eerily empty, mostly military checkpoints along the 10-minute drive from Tahrir Square, the demonstration site.

At the hospital, ambulances are rolling up nonstop -- one every few minutes.

Although away from the site of Wednesday's confrontations and clashes, the situation even at the hospital is very tense. We saw a number of walking wounded, most with bandages to their heads. A number of people were on stretchers as well.

There was a large crowd out front -- dressed in civilian clothing. A hospital doctor who would not speak in an official capacity said that there were "government" agents among the crowd outside, which was why he couldn't give an official interview. Hospital personnel are under orders not to speak to the media, he said, adding, "They don't want this to be seen."

To get additional medics into the demonstration site, they had to hide in the ambulances sent to aid demonstrators, the doctor said. The ambulances were regularly getting attacked by pro-Mubarak elements.

This one hospital had treated more than a hundred wounded, as many as 120. Most had wounds to the head and burns; there were some stab wounds.

Two of the men we were able to talk to -- both of whom had wounds to the head -- said they were going right back to the square. They were with the anti-Mubarak demonstrators.

The "civilian" crowd out front quickly became agitated, mostly instigated by a few who the doctor had identified to us as being the "government agents." They screamed "no media" and then proceeded to shout profanities.

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