ReliefWeb

KHARTOUM, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Thousands of southern Sudanese took to the streets of Khartoum on Monday, some attacking northerners and looting shops, following the death of southern leader John Garang in a helicopter crash, witnesses said.

"They are beating anybody they see who looks like they are Arab," Swayd Abdullah, a student, told Reuters. Witnesses heard the sound of gunfire. Some southerners looted shops and attacked cars.

Shops closed and there was a heightened security presence in the streets, witnesses said.

(Reporting by Khaled Abdel-Aziz and Opheera McDoom)