At least 41 devotees died and 14 were injured in a fire that engulfed a church in Egypt’s capital Cairo on Sunday, the Associated Press reported, citing the officials.
Egypt Health Minister Hala Zayed said that a stampede ensued the fire. The Coptic Orthodox Church, to which the Abu Sefein Church belongs, said the fire broke out while a service was underway. Fifteen fire tenders were sent to douse the flames.
“People were gathering on the third and fourth floor, and we saw smoke coming from the second floor,” Yasir Munir, a worshipper at the church, told Reuters. “People rushed to go down the stairs and stared falling on top of each other. Then we heard a bang and sparks and fire coming out of the window.”
Visuals on social media showed smoke bellowing out of the Abu Sefein Church. Photos showed burned furniture, including wooden tables and chairs.
The cause of the blaze is not known. However, the police said that initial investigation showed the cause to be an electrical short-circuit.
Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi offered his condolences to Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II.
“I am closely following the developments of the tragic accident,” el-Sissi wrote on Facebook. “I directed all concerned state agencies and institutions to take all necessary measures, and immediately to deal with this accident and its effects.”
A local, Maher Murad, told Reuters that he had left his sister at the church before the fire broke out.
“After the firefighter doused the fire, I recognised my sister’s body,” he told the news agency. “The bodies are all charred, and many of them are children, who were in a nursery room in the church.”
The country’s chief prosecutor, Hamada el-Sawy, has ordered an investigation into the fire.
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