• 41 people died and 14 were hurt when a fire broke out in a church in Cairo.
• Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi offered his condolences to the victims and their families.
• Police believe that an electrical short-circuit may have caused the fire.

CAIRO: The Coptic Church of Egypt said that at least 41 people died and 14 were hurt when a fire broke out in a church in a crowded area of Cairo, the capital of Egypt, on Sunday.

No one knew right away what started the fire in the Abu Sefein church in the working-class neighbourhood of Imbaba. A police statement says that the first investigation pointed to an electrical short-circuit.

Health officials told the Coptic Church how many people had died. It said that the fire started on Sunday morning while a service was going on.

Fifteen fire trucks were sent to the scene to put out the fire, and ambulances took the injured people to hospitals nearby.

The president’s office said that President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi called the Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II to offer his condolences.

“I am closely following the developments of the tragic accident,” el-Sissi wrote on Facebook. “I directed all concerned state agencies and institutions to take all necessary measures, and immediately to deal with this accident and its effects.”

Egypt has about 90 million people, and about 10 million of them are Christians.

These Christians have long complained that Egypt’s Muslim majority treats them unfairly.

Also Read

Massive explosion rocks Armenian capital, Yerevan

A large explosion shook a market in Yerevan on Sunday. First responders...