CAIRO-(MaraviPost)-At least 41 people have died after massive blaze ripped through the country’s Coptic Church in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Sunday, August 14, 2022.
The Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II confirmed the news of the tragedy in a statement on Sunday, August 14.
According to Tawadros II, the fire broke out while a service was underway killing at least 41 people, with 14 others sustaining various degrees of injuries.
Fifteen firefighting vehicles were dispatched to the scene to put out the flames while ambulances ferried the casualties to nearby hospitals, ABC reported.
The cause of the blaze in the Abu Sefein church was not immediately known, however initial investigation pointed to an electrical short-circuit.
The country’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has disclosed that he has mobilizer all state services to ensure that all measures are taken and he has shared personalized condolences to the families of the victims through the church’s pope in a telephone call.
Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East, making up at least 10 million of Egypt’s 103 million people and have long complained of discrimination by the nation’s Muslim majority.
In recent years, copts have suffered reprisals from Islamists, particularly after Sisi overthrew former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, with churches, schools and homes burnt down.
Meanwhile, Fire services has said the blaze had been brought under control.
Egypt has suffered several deadly fires in recent years.
In March 2021, at least 20 people died in a blaze in a textile factory in the eastern suburbs of Cairo.
In 2020, two hospital fires claimed the lives of 14 COVID-19 patients.
