Egypt: Fire at Coptic church in Cairo kills 41, injured 14

In Egypt, officials say at least 41 people were killed and 14 injured Sunday when a fire broke out inside a church in Giza. Authorities say 5,000 worshippers were inside the Coptic Abu Sifin church in the Imbaba neighborhood when the blaze began. Fifteen firefighting vehicles were dispatched to the scene to put out the flames while ambulances ferried the casualties to nearby hospitals. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi spoke by phone with the Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II to offer his condolences, the president’s office said. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared on his Facebook page that "I have mobilised all state services to ensure that all measures are taken".

Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East, making up at least 10 million of Egypt's 103 million people. The minority has suffered attacks and complained of discrimination in the majority Muslim north African country, the Arab world's most populous. Copts have suffered reprisals from Islamists, particularly after Sisi overthrew former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, with churches, schools and homes burnt down. Sisi, the first Egyptian president to attend the Coptic Christmas mass every year, recently appointed a Coptic judge to head the Constitutional Court for the first time in history.Egypt has suffered several deadly fires in recent years.