A power failure causes a fire in a church that leaves 41 dead in Egypt

by time news

Police cordon off access to the burned church in Giza. / ep

The flames and smoke have led to a human stampede

At least 41 people have died and another 14 have been injured this Sunday by a fire declared in the Coptic Orthodox church of Abu Seifein (or Saint Mercury) in the town of Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, in Egypt. According to the first investigations, the fire originated due to an electrical failure during a religious service that welcomed hundreds of faithful.

Sources from the Ministry of the Interior told the local newspaper ‘Al-Ahram’ that the flames and smoke ended up leading to a human stampede. The fire is currently under control, although firefighters are still carrying out cooling operations that prevent access to the church, according to the agencies, so the death toll could increase in the coming hours.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi posted on his Facebook account that he is “closely following the developments of the tragic accident at the Al-Munira church” in Giza and that he has ordered “all relevant state agencies and institutions to take all necessary measures, and immediately deal with this incident and its effects and provide all aspects of medical care to the injured.” In addition, he extended his “sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims.”

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