Manama, Bahrain: Shortly after sunset, a peaceful march headed to Pearl Roundabout where they were attacked by the army.

Al Jazeera English is broadcasting a call from a Dr. Ghassan of the Salmaniya hospital who calls desperately for help saying the hospital is full and overwhelmed, “almost impossible to cope,” that the number of casualties is “uncountable” and that it is “as if we are in a war.” A second doctor reported that ambulances are blocked from entering the area to help the wounded and that there are many, many there. (Update – AJE new youtube of Doctor Ghassan’s call added below)

Al Jazeera English also has just broadcast a call a former member of Parliament who said the shooting was live ammunition which came “from army, from tanks – possibly from helicopters as well” and that the message they are sending is “you will shut up or you will be killed”

And a call from two protesters who said the firing was intense, with many shot – and they had heard a western journalist, possibly from the UK Telegraph, was amongst those injured.

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times tweets from the hospital:

@NickKristof
ABt 20 patients so far, 1 nr death. Ambulances say many many more casualties but they are denied access.
43 minutes ago

Worst injuries from those at Deh marching toward Pearl. Many head wounds. Unsure if live fire or rubber bullets.
52 minutes ago

Lots of casualties. ER filling up. 1 a girl of abt 13, writhing on stretcher. 1 a man w terrible head wound. #bahrain
54 minutes ago

Patients pouring into ER, along w tear gas . Chaos. Tr gas grenades thudding in bckground
1 hour ago

@NickKristof Panicked crowds running thru hospital after police attack. Drs rushing to ER. Tear gas grenades outside, wafting in.
1 hour ago

Police attacking protesters here at hospital in #Bahrain. Tear gas inside. Panic.
1 hour ago

Army just fired again on #Bahrain protesters.
1 hour ago

Bahrain Center for Human Rights linked to video above of the attack and retweets:

@BahrainRights RT @hadeelalsh our photog and camerman were there. The ammo is live #bahrain

Hadeelalsh is Hadeel Al-Shalchi with the AP Middle East bureau.

Al Jazeera’s Liveblog Bahrain is reporting:

6:39pm Bahraini troops shot at protesters near Pearl Roundabout and wounded several, Jalal Firooz, a former Shia lawmaker says. Firooz, of the Wefaq bloc that resigned from parliament on Thursday, said demonstrators had been elsewhere in the city, marking the death of a protester killed earlier this week when riot police had fired tear gas at them.

The demonstrators then made for Pearl Roundabout, where army troops who took it over after the police raid on Thursday, opened fire, he said. Police had no immediate comment.

6:22 pm A doctor of Salmaniya hospital tells Al Jazeera that the hospital is full of severely injured people after the latest shootings.

We need help! Our staff is entirely overwhelmed. They are shooting at people’s heads. Not at the legs. People are having their brains blown out!

6:17pm Hadeel Al-Shalchi [@hadeelalsh] of Associated Press Tweets:

Protesters reached the #lulu square, sat down and army shot into them again #bahrain

6:13 pm People are tweeting that blood is needed at Salmaniya hospital:

Please if you can announce in AJE and AJA .. Blood needed in Al Salmanya Hospital. BTV won’t announce it .. Please if you could.