CAIRO (AP) — A fire ripped through a packed Coptic Orthodox church during morning services in Egypt’s capital, killing 41 worshippers, including at least 10 children, and injuring 16 others.
The church quickly filled with thick black smoke Sunday, and witnesses said several trapped congregants jumped from upper floors to escape.
The cause of the blaze in the Martyr Abu Sefein church in the working-class neighborhood of Imbaba was not immediately known. An initial investigation pointed to an electrical short-circuit, according to a police statement.
Footage from the scene circulated online showed burned furniture, including wooden tables and chairs. Firefighters were seen putting out the blaze while others carried victims to ambulances.
