At least 41 killed in Egyptian church fire, security sources say

CAIRO: At least 41 people were killed and 45 injured in a fire inside a church in the Egyptian city of Giza on Sunday, two security sources told Reuters.

An electrical fire broke out just before 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) during Mass as 5,000 people gathered at the Coptic Abu Sifin church in the Imbaba neighbourhood, the sources said.

The fire blocked an entrance to the church, causing a stampede, they said, adding that most of those killed were children.

“People were gathering on the third and fourth floor, and we saw smoke coming from the second floor. People rushed to go down the stairs and stared falling on top of each other,” said Yasir Munir, a worshipper at the church.

“Then we heard a bang and sparks and fire coming out of the window,” he said, saying he and his daughter were on the ground floor and able to escape.

Electrical fires of this kind are not a rare occurrence in Egypt; in late 2020, a fire at a hospital treating COVID-19 patients killed at least seven people and injured several others.

Giza, Egypt’s second-largest city, lies just across the Nile from Cairo.

“I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims that have passed on to be with their Lord in one of his houses of worship,” said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a tweet.

Maher Murad said he left his sister at the church after prayers.

“As soon as I got away from the church by only 10 meters, I heard the sound of screaming and saw thick smoke,” he said.

“After the firefighter doused the fire, I recognised my sister’s body. The bodies are all charred, and many of them are children, who were in a nursery room in the church.”