
At least 41 people lost their lives and 45 were injured by a fire inside a church in the Egyptian city of Giza on Sunday.
Fire caused by an electrical mass broke out during Mass while 5,000 people had gathered at the Abu Sifin Coptic Church in the Imbaba neighborhood, security sources said.
The fire blocked a church entrance, causing chaos, they said, adding that most of the dead were children.
"The believers were gathering on the third and fourth floors, and we saw smoke coming from the second floor. People rushed down the stairs and prevented each other," said Yasir Munir, a believer.
"Then we heard a noise, sparks and fire coming out the window," he said, saying he and his daughter were on the first floor and were able to escape.
Giza is Egypt's second largest city.
"I express my sincere condolences to the families of innocent victims," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a Twitter post.