41 People Dead in Egyptian Church Fire

An unfortunate electrical fire left 41 people dead and many more people injured during a church service in Egypt on Sunday morning, 14 August.

The service took place at the Coptic Abu Sefein Church in Imbaba, Giza, in the densely populated outskirts of Greater Cairo. At the time, 5 000 worshippers were said to have gathered there.

Amongst those dead are believed to be 18 children, many of whom were trapped in the church’s nursery but were unreachable due to the heat and smoke.

The incident – which is believed to be one of Egypt’s worst fire tragedies in recent years – is currently being investigated. At the moment, it is believed to have been caused by a malfunctioning air conditioner unit or a short circuit in a power generator.

Yasir Munir, a worshipper who managed to escape with his daughter, spoke with the media afterwards: “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. Then we heard a bang and saw sparks and fire coming out of the window.”

According to a cabinet statement released after the fire, the families of the deceased victims will each receive 100 000 Egyptian pounds.

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