CNA Newsroom, 14 August, 2022 / 8:00 pm (ACI Africa).
At least 40 people — most of them children — have died in a fire in a Coptic Orthodox church in Giza Governorate, Egypt, on Sunday, according to government and church officials.
Thirty-five children between two and six years of age were among the victims of the blaze that ripped through the Church of Saint Mercurius (known in Arabic as Abu Sefein), reported ACI MENA, ACI Africa's partner agency for the Middle East and Northern Africa.
The cause of the blaze has so far not been established. Reuters reported that an electrical fire broke out at the church where people gathered during the Divine Liturgy celebration. The blaze reportedly blocked the exit from the church and caused a stampede.
The parish priest, Fr. Abdul Masih Bakhit, also died during the fire.
The injured were transferred to Imbaba General Hospital and Agouza General Hospital after 30 ambulances attended the scene.
