Archpriest Moussa Ibrahim, spokesman for the Coptic Church, said it was not clear how many children were killed in the fire at the Abu Safin church, but there was a crowd of worshipers attending Sunday’s mass ceremony.
At least two officers and three civil protection service members were injured in response to the fire, Egypt’s interior ministry announced in a Facebook post.
The fire started around 9 a.m. local time and was caused by an electrical fault in an air-conditioning unit on the second floor of the church, the statement said.
The interior ministry said most of the deaths and injuries were caused by smoke after a power failure inside the church’s classrooms.
Ibrahim said church officials also believed the fire was accidental. Egypt’s Coptic communities and churches have historically been the target of religious-based violence and attacks, along with persecution and discrimination, since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak’s regime in 2011.
According to a church spokesman, Pope Tavadros II, the head of the Coptic Church, said: “We are in constant contact with local authorities and the Ministry of Health.”
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi tweeted his condolences to the victims of the church fire.
“I express my deepest condolences to the families of the innocent victims who went to their Lord’s side in one of the houses of worship,” Al Sisi said.
Egypt’s president said he was closely monitoring developments in the “tragic accident” and directed state agencies and institutions to immediately deal with the tragedy and take necessary measures to provide care for the injured.
Egyptian football player Mo Salah, who plays for Liverpool and captains the national team, also sent a message of support to those affected by the tragedy on Sunday, saying in a tweet: “My sincere condolences to the victims of the Abu Safeen Church. Condolences, and my best wishes for the speedy recovery of all the injured.”