An electrical fire broke out as 5,000 worshipers gathered for mass at the Coptic Abu Sifin Church in the Imbaba neighborhood, the sources said. The fire blocked an entrance to the church and caused a stampede, they said, adding that most of the dead were children.
Giza, Egypt’s second largest city, is just across the Nile from Cairo.
Yasir Munir, a worshiper at the church, said: “People gathered on the third and fourth floors and we saw smoke coming from the second floor.
“People rushed to go down the stairs and stared down at each other.
“Then we heard a bang and sparks and fire came out the window.”
Mr Munir said he and his daughter were on the ground floor and were able to escape.
Maher Murad said he left his sister at church after prayer.
He said: “As soon as I was only 10 meters from the church, I heard the sound of screams and saw thick smoke.
“When the firefighter put out the fire, I recognized my sister’s body.
“The bodies are all charred, and many of them are children, who were in a nursery in the church.”
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi tweeted: “I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims who died to be with their Lord in one of his places of worship.”
The Egyptian Ministry of Health expects the death toll to rise significantly.
Last March, at least 20 people were killed and 24 injured in a fire at a garment factory near Cairo.
Christians make up between five and 15 percent of Egypt’s population, as members of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.
Egyptian Christians are the largest Christian community in the Middle East.
Located close to Cairo, Giza is the capital of the government of Giza with a population of 9.2 million people.
It is also home to the world famous pyramids.
(More to follow)