At least 41 perish in Cairo church fire
A total of 41 people were killed and 55 injured in Cairo after a huge fire broke out in a church. The massive flames engulfed the entire church’s neighborhood in the Egyptian capital.
The authorities say that about 5,000 people had gathered for Mass at the Coptic Abu Sefein Church when an electrical fire broke out during the morning Sunday service.
Firefighters were sent to the scene to extinguish the flames and contain the situation. Ambulances too were dispatched to ferry the casualties to nearby hospitals.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi offered his condolences to the victims affected by the tragedy and assured them that the relevant institutions had taken appropriate measures to deal with the situation.
I am closely following the developments of the tragic accident, el-Sissi wrote on Facebook. “I directed all concerned state agencies and institutions to take all necessary measures, and immediately to deal with this accident and its effects,” said the president.
Ten per cent of Egypt’s population are Christians, who in the past and in recent times have complained of discrimination by the nation’s Muslim majority.
The country has been home to the ethnic Coptic Orthodox which is the largest Christian denomination in Egypt.
