According to a spokeswoman for the Egyptian Coptic Church, 41 people were killed and at least 14 wounded after a fire broke out at a church in Giza's Imbaba neighborhood in greater Cairo on Sunday.
At least two officers and three civil protection service members were injured responding to the fire at the Abu Sefein church, Egypt's interior ministry said in a Facebook post.
The statement stated that the fire started around 9 a.m. local time and was caused by an electrical failure in an air conditioning unit on the church's second floor.
The interior ministry said most of the deaths and injuries were caused by smoke inside church classrooms after the electric failure.
Pope Tawadros II said that we are in constant contact with the local authorities and the health ministry.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has expressed his condolences to the victims of the fire at Abu Sefein Church. El Sisi said he offered his sincere condolences to the families of innocent victims who moved to the side of their Lord in one of the houses of worship. The Egyptian president said he was closely following developments of the tragic accident and that he has directed state agencies and institutions to take the necessary measures to deal with the tragedy and provide care for those injured.