Egypt church fire leaves dozens dead; 18 children are among the victims.

At least 18 children were among dozens of people who died after a fire broke out in a church in the Imbaba neighborhood of Giza, Cairo, on Sunday, according to hospital documents seen by CNN .

The children ranged in age from 3 to 16, according to the documents. The current death toll is 41 dead and 14 wounded, said a statement from the Coptic Church of Egypt citing health officials.

The fire started around 9 am local time by an electrical failure in an air conditioning unit on the second floor of the church, the Interior Ministry said. The small church is located in the highly populated neighborhood of Imbaba.

At least two officers and three members of the civil protection service were injured working to contain the fire, Egypt’s Interior Ministry announced in a Facebook post.

Most of the deaths and injuries were caused by smoke inside church classrooms after the electrical outage, the Interior Ministry said. Church officials also believe the fire was accidental, Ibrahim said.

Egypt’s Coptic community and churches have been the target of religious violence and attacks historically, with persecution and discrimination increasing since the fall of Hosni Mubarak’s regime in 2011.

“We are in continuous contact with the local authorities and the Ministry of Health,” said the head of the Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, according to the church’s spokesman.

Mariam Malak, 23, told CNN who had left the church just before the fire started.

“I left church after Sunday mass and was on my way to work when my mom called me, she thought I had been caught in the fire. I came back and saw [a] church on fire. I missed it by just a few minutes.

“Everyone who was there went to heaven, including our father Abdel Masih who led this morning’s prayers and many of our family and friends. We are trying to identify everyone now,” she said.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi tweeted his condolences to the victims of the church fire.

“I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims who moved to their Lord’s side in one of the houses of worship,” said El Sisi.
The Egyptian president said he was closely following the unfolding of the “tragic accident” and had advised state agencies and institutions to take the necessary measures to immediately deal with the tragedy and provide assistance to 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 Abu Sefein Church and my best wishes. best wishes for a speedy recovery for all injured.”

Lina El Wardani contributed to this story.