An electrical fire broke out during Mass as 5,000 people gathered at the Coptic Abu Sifin church in Giza city
\n CAIRO
\nAt 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.
\nAn electrical fire broke out just before 9am (0700 GMT) during Mass as 5,000 people gathered at the Coptic Abu Sifin church in the Imbaba neighbourhood, the sources said.
\nThe fire blocked an entrance to the church, causing a stampede, they said, adding that most of those killed were children.
\n\u201cPeople 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,\u201d said Yasir Munir, a worshipper at the church.
\n\u201cThen we heard a bang and sparks and fire coming out of the window,\u201d he said, saying he and his daughter were on the ground floor and able to escape.
\nElectrical 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.
\nGiza, Egypt\u2019s second-largest city, lies just across the Nile from Cairo.
\n\u201cI 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,\u201d said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a tweet.
\nMaher Murad said he left his sister at the church after prayers.
\n\u201cAs soon as I got away from the church by only 10 meters, I heard the sound of screaming and saw thick smoke,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cAfter the firefighter doused the fire, I recognised my sister\u2019s body. The bodies are all charred, and many of them are children, who were in a nursery room in the church.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An electrical fire broke out during Mass as 5,000 people gathered at the Coptic Abu Sifin church in Giza city 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":277273,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-277253","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n