At least 41 dead in Egypt church fireFly into the homes of ordinary people
China News Agency, Beijing, August 15. Cairo News: On the morning of August 14 local time, a fire broke out in a church in Giza province, northern Egypt, killing at least 41 people, including 15 children. The international community expressed condolences to the victims in many directions.
According to the Associated Press, the fire was caused by a short circuit in an air conditioner on the second floor of the church. The smoke from the fire and the stampede accident when people fled were the main causes of casualties.
The Associated Press, citing witnesses, said the church was in a four-story building that included two daycares. Many children were in the building when the fire broke out. At present, the fire has killed at least 41 people, including 15 children; another 16 people have been injured, including 4 police officers.
The UNICEF Egypt office said on social media that it was deeply saddened by the fire.
The World Health Organization’s office in Egypt also expressed its deep condolences to the families of the victims through social media and expressed hope for a speedy recovery for the injured.
The European Union Mission in Egypt and the embassies of Russia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and other countries in Egypt also expressed their condolences to the families of the victims.
The New York Times said that the building that caught fire was converted into a church without official permission. It wasn’t approved until a few years after it was built. Currently, there are thousands of churches built without official authorization in Egypt, often built with disregard for fire safety standards.
According to Al Jazeera, several major fires have occurred in Egypt in recent years: in December 2020, a fire broke out in a hospital in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, resulting in seven deaths and several injuries; in March 2021, a garment factory in the eastern suburbs of Cairo A fire broke out, killing at least 20 people and injuring 24 others.