A fire in a densely-packed Coptic church in Cairo left 41 worshipers dead, in one of the worst recent fire tragedies in Egypt.
Coptic Church officials cited health department officials in reporting the death toll, according to the Associated Press, and at least 55 people were said to be hospitalized. The fire broke out at a crowded church as service was underway. The Interior Ministry said that the fire was caused by a faulty air conditioner unit in the building’s second story.
“I am closely following the developments of the tragic accident in Al-Munira Church in Giza Governorate, and I have directed all concerned state agencies and institutions to take all necessary measures, and immediately to deal with this accident and its effects, and to provide all aspects of health care for the injured,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi tweeted. “I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims who moved to the side of their Lord in one of the houses in which they are worshiped.”
وأتقدم بخالص التعازي لأسر الضحايا الأبرياء الذين انتقلوا لجوار ربهم في بيت من بيوته التي يُعبد بها ٢/٢
— Abdelfattah Elsisi (@AlsisiOfficial) August 14, 2022
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Around 5,000 worshipers were gathered in the church when the blaze broke out, according to two security sources speaking to Reuters. The fire blocked the entrance to the church and caused a stampede. 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 started falling on top of each other,” Yasir Munir, a worshiper at the church when the fire broke out, said, according to the report. “Then we heard a bang and sparks and fire coming out of the window.”
Munir was able to escape due to being on the ground floor when the fire broke out.
“As soon as I got away from the church by only 10 meters, I heard the sound of screaming and saw thick smoke,” worshiper Maher Murad told Reuters. “After the firefighter doused the fire, I recognized my sister’s body. The bodies are all charred, and many of them are children, who were in a nursery room in the church.”
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The deadly fire is just the most tragedy to befall Egypt’s indigenous Coptic Christian population, the Arab world’s largest, who make up anywhere from 6-20% of the country’s population.
Coptic Christians have faced centuries of persecution and targeted violence. For instance, twin church bombings during Palm Sunday celebrations in 2017 by ISIS left 50 dead and 100 wounded, followed by an attack on a busload of pilgrims the next month which left 29 dead.
