At least 41 people are said to have died after a church fire in Egypthave stated reports.
The fire tore through the Abu Sifin Church in Gizaclose to Cairo Sunday and in which large numbers of people were injured, the country’s Coptic Church said.
The fire reportedly broke out while a service was underway on Sunday morning, with sources telling Reuters that the fire was caused by an electrical fault as worshipers gathered for mass.
A source said the fire blocked an entrance to the church, sparking a stampede.
“People gathered on the third and fourth floors and we saw smoke coming out of the second floor. People rushed down the stairs and stared down at each other,” said Yasir Munir, a worshiper at the church.
“Then we heard a bang and sparks and fire coming from the window,” he said, saying he and his daughter were on the ground floor and were able to escape.
Fifteen fire trucks were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the flames, while ambulances took the victims to nearby hospitals.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi spoke by phone with Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II to express his condolences, the president’s office said.
“I am closely following the developments of the tragic accident,” al-Sisi wrote on Facebook.
“I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims who have passed over to be with their Lord in one of his places of worship.”