At least 40 killed in Egypt church fire, say security sources

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At least 40 people have been killed and 45 injured in a fire in a church in the Egyptian city of Giza, according to two security sources.

An electrical fire broke out during mass as 5,000 people gathered at the Coptic Abu Sifin church in the Imbaba neighbourhood on Sunday, the sources said.

The fire blocked an entrance to the church, causing a stampede, they said, adding that most of those killed were children.

“People were gathering on the third and fourth floor, and we saw smoke coming from the second floor. People rushed to go down the stairs and stared falling on top of each other,” said Yasir Munir, a worshipper at the church. “Then we heard a bang and sparks and fire coming out of the window.”

He said he and his daughter had been on the ground floor and were able to escape.

Egypt’s president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, said in a tweet: “I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims that have passed on to be with their lord in one of his houses of worship,.”

Giza, Egypt’s second largest city, lies just across the Nile from Cairo.