The authorities in Egypt report that in a fire that broke out last night (Sunday) in a Coptic church in the city of Giza in Egypt, near the capital Cairo, 41 people were killed and another 145 were injured. According to the reports, the fire broke out in the Avonhargoish church in the densely populated Imbaba district of Giza, and also damaged nearby buildings. Witnesses in the field say that after the fire was extinguished, panic was observed in the field and people were trampled while trying to escape from the fire.
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Al-Arabiya correspondent: We are waiting for official data on the number of victims of the Al-Munira church fire in Giza
#Arabic pic.twitter.com/L46w4KxHAe– Al Arabiya Egypt (@AlArabiya_EGY) August 14, 2022
According to Reuters, about 5,000 people participated in the mass ceremony in the church, the fire apparently broke out as a result of a fault in the electrical connections in the church which caused a short circuit. This is according to the initial investigation. According to them, most of the victims who were killed are children. The Ministry of Health in Cairo stated earlier that about 55 people were injured in the fire, and in a later update it was stated that many of them perished. The authorities said that 15 fire engines were called to the scene to put out the flames, while ambulances sent there also evacuated the injured to nearby hospitals.