Explosion near Cairo’s Coptic cathedral kills 25, wounds dozens

A bomb explosion near the Coptic Christian cathedral in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, has killed 25 people and wounded dozens. The bomb tore through the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church, which is adjacent to Saint Mark’s Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic pope Tawadros II. Some reports say a bomb was lobbed into a chapel adjacent to one of the cathedral’s walls but others said it was planted inside. State television reported that a security official said a bomb made of TNT appeared to have been the cause of the explosion.

I found bodies, many of them women, lying on the pews. It was a horrible scene.

Attiya Mahrous, Cathedral worker

Ambulances lined up outside the church in the capital’s Abbasiya district to evacuate the dead and wounded. A crowd gathered outside the church chanted: “Tell the sheikh, tell the priest, Egyptians’ blood is not cheap”. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, but jihadists in Sinai have targeted Christians before, as well as Muslims they accuse of working with the government.

Middle East