Cairo, 15 August 2022 (TDI): Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres expresses his deep condolences for the tragic fire that occurred at the Coptic Abu Sifin church in Giza, Egypt, killing and injuring dozens of worshippers including children.
Secretary-General @antonioguterres is saddened by the tragic fire that occurred at the Coptic Abu Sifin church in Giza, Egypt, killing & injuring dozens of worshipers, including children. Full statement: 👇https://t.co/1tYM5s97Th
— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) August 14, 2022
According to the statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, the Secretary-General is saddened by the disastrous fire incident that killed dozens of people.
He expressed his sincere sympathies to the families of the victims of the horrific incident. As well as he condoled with the government and people of Egypt and wished a swift recovery to those injured.
Also read: UK offers condolences over fire outbreak in Egypt
Details of the incident
The fire was sparked by an electrical fault at a packed church in a working-class district of Greater Cairo. The incident resulted in at least 41 people killed and 45 more have been injured in the electrical fire.
Moreover, about 5000 people had assembled at the Coptic Abu Sifin church in Imbaba, Giza. The fire broke out just before 9 AM local time on Sunday.
Consequently, flames and smoke blocked an entrance to the church, causing a crowd to crush. According to witnesses, some individuals attempted to escape by jumping from higher stories.
According to the reports, the church also incorporated a nursery. Moreover, Witnesses said that people ran into the blazing building to save those who were trapped, but the heat and smoke soon overcame them
Statements by the Government Officials
In a statement, the Interior Ministry said that a forensic examination revealed that the fire started on the second-floor air conditioning as a result of an electrical malfunction.
Furthermore, as per the Cabinet statement, smoke inhalation was the primary cause of death. Also, the deceased’s families will get 100,000 Egyptian pounds ($5,220).
Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the President of Egypt, on his part stated that “I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims that have passed on to be with their lord in one of his houses of worship.”
Egypt’s Christians account for about 10% of the country’s more than 103 million people. Sunday’s fire incident was one of the worst fire tragedies in recent years in Egypt where Christian community safety got at stake.
