Doctors at five hospitals said the bodies of 23 people killed in the clashes were brought to emergency rooms and at least 150 people were treated for injuries, including a 7-year-old boy who was shot in the hip. Earlier the hospital count was 27 dead; there was no explanation for the change.
Adam Melaku, head of the independent Ethiopian Human Rights Council, revised his group's death count, saying at least eight people were killed instead of the 33 dead the group gave earlier Wednesday. He did not explain the revision.
The violence followed clashes Tuesday between protesters and police that killed eight people and wounded 43. The protests erupted after 30 taxi drivers were arrested on Monday for participating in demonstrations against the parliamentary elections.
Wednesday's clashes came hours after security officials arrested opposition leaders. All 15 members of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy's central committee and about 1,000 supporters were taken into custody, a lawyer who works for the opposition party said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.
The opposition says hundreds of their supporters and members have been arrested in the past two months. At least 42 people were killed by police during protests in June, according to human rights groups.
Opposition spokesman Gizachew Shiferaw accused police of using excessive force.
The Chairman of the African Union Commission Alpha Oumar Konare condemned the escalating violence and loss of lives. He appealed for restraint and urged both sides to address problems "through peaceful means and dialogue within the framework of the constitution and the law of the country."
Berhan said the government was "sorry and sad" for the violence, which he blamed on the main opposition party. He said demonstrators burned several buses and destroyed four houses, but that calm was returning to the capital later Wednesday.
