- A fire broke out during the mass gathering
- Church located in the city of Giza near Cairo
- At least 45 people were injured in the fire
CAIRO, Aug 14 (Reuters) – An electrical fire tore through an Egyptian Coptic Christian church during mass on Sunday, sparking a stampede and killing at least 41 people, mostly children, security sources said.
The fire started shortly before 9am at the Abu Sifin church in the city of Giza, where 5,000 people had gathered.
The fire blocked an entrance to the church, prompting the stampede, the two sources said, adding that most of the dead were children.
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“People were gathering on the third and fourth floors, and we saw smoke coming from the second floor. People rushed down the stairs and started falling on top of each other,” said worshiper Yasir Munir
“Then we heard a bang and sparks and fire coming out the window,” he said, saying he and his daughter were downstairs and were able to escape.
Electrical fires are not uncommon in Egypt. In late 2020, a fire at a hospital treating patients with COVID-19 killed at least seven people.
In a statement, the Ministry of the Interior said a forensic examination showed that the fire started in the air conditioner on the second floor as a result of an electrical fault.
People and police gather near the scene of a deadly fire at the Abu Sifin Church in Giza, Egypt, August 14, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Smoke inhalation was the leading cause of death, he said. The families of the dead will receive 100,000 Egyptian pounds ($5,220), according to a cabinet statement.
Giza, Egypt’s second largest city, is located just across the Nile from Cairo.
“I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims who have gone to be with their Lord in one of their places of worship,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a tweet.
Maher Murad said he dropped his sister off at the church after prayers.
“As soon as I was only 10 meters away from the church, I heard the sound of a scream and saw thick smoke,” he said.
“After the firefighters put out the fire, I recognized my sister’s body. The bodies were all charred, and many of them are children who were in a nursery room in the church.”
“I don’t know if it was an electrical fire or what happened, but there were children and old people, we saved who we could,” said Kirollos, speaking from a hospital where he was being treated for injuries.
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Reporting by Ahmed Mohamed Hassan and Sayed Sheasha Writing by Nafisa Eltahir and Michael Georgy Editing by David Goodman, Raissa Kasolowsky and Nick Macfie
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