At least 21 killed and 40 injured in explosion at Coptic Church in Egypt’s Tanta, says ministry

 

An explosion ripped through the Mar Girgis Coptic Church in the central Delta city of Tanta on Sunday morning as parishioners attended a Palm Sunday service, leaving dozens killed and many more injured.

At least 21 people were killed and 40 injured in the blast, the Health Ministry said.

The death toll is expected to rise.

The explosive device was planted in the church before detonating, causing deaths and injuries, a security official told the state-run news agency MENA.

The explosion occurred as Christians across Egypt mark Palm Sunday at the start of the Week of Pain, which ends next Sunday with celebrations for the Resurrection of Christ.

This is the second major deadly attack on a Coptic church in the past five months. On 11 December, 2016, a suicide bomber detonated explosives in the St  Peter and St Paul Church in central Cairo during prayer services,  leaving 28 dead and more than 40 wound

10:35 A security source told Egyptian state TV an explosive device was planted inside the church.

10:42 The explosion occurred in the main prayer hall of the church, with an explosive device planted under a seat, a security official told Al-Ahram Arabic website. Sixten ambulances were sent to the scene of the explosion, with 40 injured people transferred to hospital.

10:48 The Ministry of Health says the death toll in the Tanta church explosion has risen to 21.

10:53 Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi orders the opening of military hospitals to treat those injured in the Tanta attack, according to Sky News Arabia.

The General Prosecutor orders the formation of a prosecution team in Tanta to inspect Mar Girgis Church and conduct initial investigations, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

Source:ahram online