ADDIS ABABA, June 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Ethiopian police said Thursday the situation in Addis Ababa gets back to normal following the killing of at least 26 people who clashed in the streets with security forces.

    According to a statement issued from the Federal Police Commission, police and security forces on Wednesday put under control the illegal moves by people who are said to be loyal to the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), the country's largest opposition party.

    The statement also identified 15 of the 26 people who lost their lives in the clashes. It said it could not yet identify the names and addresses of other 11 deceased.

    The casualties occurred in clashes between security forces on one side, and "unruly groups" who, the statement said, attempted "bank robbery," tried to "set detainees free by breaking into police stations," or those who tried to "snatch guns away" from police members.

    Some 40 individuals sustained bodily injuries, four of whom died afterwards, putting the casualty figure at 26, it said. The injuries of the other individuals are light and would not lead to death, it added.

    On Wednesday, police and security forces in the capital opened fire on stone-throwing crowds. The Ethiopia government blamed the CUD for inciting the worst violence seen in the capital in four years. However, the CUD denied it was behind the protests and ensuing violence.

    Tension has been rising in the extremely poor country since theMay 15 parliamentary elections, with the opposition accusing the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front of vote-rigging.

    The ruling party, led by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, retained control of parliament according to official election results that have not yet been ratified. Enditem