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Egyptian church fire caused by electrical fault results in at least 41 fatalities.

According to Egyptian authorities, a fire at a Coptic Christian church in the Egyptian city of Giza on Sunday during Mass resulted in at least 41 fatalities and 45 injuries.

 

Five thousand people had gathered for Mass at the Abu Sifin church in the Imbaba neighbourhood when the fire broke out just before nine in the morning (0700 GMT), according to two security sources.

 

The majority of those killed were children, they added, adding that the fire blocked an entrance to the church and caused a stampede.

 

‘Smoke was coming from the second floor, and people were congregating on the third and fourth floors. As they tumbled on top of one another while rushing down the stairs, ‘Yasir Munir, a churchgoer, made the statement.

 

He claimed that because he and his daughter were on the ground floor and able to escape, ‘then we heard a bang, sparks, and fire coming out of the window.’

 

In Egypt, electrical fires of this nature are not unheard of; in late 2020, a fire at a hospital caring for COVID-19 patients resulted in at least seven fatalities and numerous injuries.

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