At least 41 dead in Cairo church fire

KARO — At least 41 people were killed on Sunday after a massive fire broke out at a church in Cairo during morning prayers, according to health authorities and the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Egypt’s health ministry said 14 people were also taken to hospitals for treatment after they were injured in the fire that engulfed the Coptic Orthodox Church of Abou Seifain in the workers’ district of Imbaba, in the greater Giza province. fire broke out at 9 am Cairo time.

The Interior Ministry, which oversees the Civil Defense Authority, said the fire “broke out in an air-conditioning unit on the second floor of the church building, which includes a number of classrooms, as a result of an electrical fault.”

The ministry, which said the fire was under control, attributed the deaths to smoke inhalation. Five police officers were said to have been injured.

The health ministry said a subsequent stampede had also contributed to the deaths.

Horrible online images and videos showed people who appeared to be injured by the flames screaming in pain. Eyewitnesses said that the victims were said to have been a large number of children.

Stories of those who braved the flames to save children were covered by local media. A list of the victims’ names, made public by a member of parliament representing Imbaba, showed that an entire family had died in the fire.

“I am closely following the developments of the tragic accident… and I have instructed all state institutions involved to take all necessary measures and to address this incident and its consequences immediately and to provide all aspects of health care to the injured” , he said. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Facebook.

Sisi had also ordered the military’s technical service to repair the damaged church building, the state news agency said.

The fire marks one of the worst tragedies in recent years to hit Egypt’s Christian community, which makes up about 10% of the country’s population.

In 2017, double suicide bombings at churches in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta killed more than 40 people. A few months later, gunmen killed nine worshipers in a church south of Cairo.

An original version of this article contained an incorrect number of people being treated in the hospital. The story has been corrected.