The number of dead was announced by the country’s Coptic Church, citing health officials. Fourteen other people were reportedly injured. An electrical fire broke out as 5,000 worshipers gathered for a service at the Abu Sifin Coptic Church in the Imbaba neighborhood, sources told Reuters news agency. The fire blocked the entrance to the church, causing chaos, they said, adding that most of the dead were children. “People were gathering on the third and fourth floors and we saw smoke coming from the second floor,” said Yasir Munir, a worshiper at the church. “People rushed down the stairs and started falling over each other. “Then we heard a bang and sparks and fire coming out of the window,” he said, saying he and his daughter were on the ground floor and were able to escape. The interior ministry said it received a report of the fire at 9 a.m. local time and the fire broke out in an air conditioner on the second floor of the building. Image: View of the damage to the church 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,” El Sisi wrote on Facebook. “I have instructed all concerned government agencies and bodies to take all necessary measures and immediately deal with this accident and its consequences.” Sunday’s fire is one of the worst in recent years in a country where safety standards and fire regulations are poorly enforced. In March last year, a fire at a clothing factory near Cairo killed at least 20 people and injured 24 others. Image: People inspect the scene of the fatal fire. Photo: AP
