CAIRO: A bomb blast tore through a church near Cairo’s Coptic cathedral during a service on Sunday, killing at least 25 people in the deadliest attack in recent memory on Egypt’s minority community. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing but Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 per cent of Egypt’s population, have been previously targeted in militant attacks. At least 31 people were also wounded in the blast, the health ministry said, as the attack drew condemnation from political and religious leaders and led President Abdel Fattah al Sisi to declare three days of national mourning. The bombing hit around 10:00 am at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church, which is adjacent to Saint Mark’s Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic pope Tawadros II.
A bomb made of 12 kilos of TNT appeared to have been behind the explosion, security officials said. The blast shattered the church’s glass windows and scattered pews through the main prayer hall. Blood stains could be seen on the floors, where shoes and other belongings lay scattered. “I was leaving the church and then I heard a loud explosion and there was a lot of smoke and people started running and screaming,” Jackline Abdel Shahid, one of the survivors of the blast, said at the scene. “The ambulances started coming, and they kept bringing out body parts. The floor was covered in blood, and the whole church was stained with blood, broken glass everywhere, everyone screaming, torn clothes,” she said. — AFP
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