At least 41 people have died in a fire in a church near the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
The death toll was announced by the country’s Coptic Church, citing health officials.
Fourteen other people were reported injured.
An electrical fire broke out as 5,000 worshipers gathered for mass at the Abu Sifin Coptic Church in the Imbaba neighborhood, sources told the Reuters news agency.
The fire blocked an entrance to the church and led to a stampede, they said, adding that most of the dead were children.
“People were gathering on the third and fourth floors, and we saw smoke coming from the second floor,” said Yasir Munir, a worshiper at the church.
“People rushed down the stairs and started falling on top of each other.
“Then we heard a bang and sparks and fire coming out the window,” he said, saying he and his daughter were downstairs and were able to escape.
Another witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I saw people jumping from the top floor. Suffocation, suffocation, all dead.
“Up to 60 dead, and there are children we didn’t know how to get there.”
The interior ministry said it received a report of the fire at 9 a.m. local time, and that the fire broke out in an air conditioner on the second floor of the building.
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View of the damage to the church
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi spoke by phone with Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II to offer his condolences, the president’s office said.
“I am closely following the evolution of the tragic accident,” El-Sissi wrote on Facebook.
“I ordered all agencies and state institutions involved to take all necessary measures and to immediately deal with this accident and its effects.”
Sunday’s fire is one of the worst fire tragedies in recent years in a country where safety rules and fire regulations are poorly enforced.
In March last year, a fire at a clothing factory near Cairo killed at least 20 people and injured 24 others.
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The damage can be seen on the outside of the building. Image: AP
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People inspect the scene of the deadly fire. Image: AP