VIDEO: At least 41 dead and 14 injured in Egypt church fire

At least 41 people were killed and 14 others were injured after a raging fire broke out in a church in the Imbaba neighborhood of southwest Cairo on Sunday. 

"Health Ministry sources said there are 41 dead so far, while there are 14 injured," the Coptic Church said in a statement posted on Facebook and quoted by DW News.

Egypt's new Minister of Health, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, ordered "the rapid provision of all medical and emergency services to the victims of the fire incident" at the El Martyr Abu Sefein church, where some 5,000 worshippers were present at the time of the incident.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said in a Facebook post that he had mobilized "all state services to ensure that all measures are implemented." Sometime later, firefighters confirmed that they had brought the flames under control. 

"My heartfelt condolences to the families of the innocent victims who moved to the Lord's neighbor's house from their places of worship," he added.

🇪🇬| ÚLTIMA HORA: Al menos 41 muertos y 14 heridos tras incendio en iglesia en El Cairo, Egipto. pic.twitter.com/DsDrkpkUE0

— Alerta News 🚨 (@Alerta_News_) August 14, 2022

According to initial investigations, the fire originated in the air conditioning unit on the second floor of the building due to an electrical fault, causing the emission of a large amount of smoke, the main cause of death, security sources told EFE.

The sources added that there are two Egyptian officers and three members of the Civil Defense among the wounded. Among the dead is the priest of the church Abdel Masih, whose body was taken to Aguza Hospital. It is believed that there could be minors among the victims since there is a nursery inside the temple.

The Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East, representing at least 10 million of Egypt's 103 million inhabitants.