As of: 08/14/2022 4:41 p.m
The fire in the Abu Sefein Church in Cairo has led to the suspicion of an act of terrorism, because the Coptic Christians belong to a persecuted minority in Egypt. As ARD correspondent Anna Osius reported, however, an overheated air conditioning system could be the cause.
Investigations into the fire at the Coptic Abu Sefein Church in Cairo are in full swing. The accident in the Imbaba district with more than 40 dead has triggered memories of the serious attacks in 2016 and 2017 on Coptic Christians in Cairo, Tanta and Alexandria and raised suspicions of an act of terrorism. With ten percent of the approximately 103 million inhabitants, the Coptic Christians are a minority in Egypt. They feel persecuted and oppressed as a religious community.
As ARD correspondent, Anna Osiusfrom Cairo in an interview with daily news 24 reported, this time it doesn’t look like an act of terrorism. A technical defect in an air conditioning system on the second floor of the church could have triggered the fire. Temperatures of up to 40 degrees are currently being measured in the Egyptian city. Devices quickly overheated in the weather. The smoke could have spread quickly from the air conditioner. This hampered the rescue work.
Anna Osius, ARD Cairo, on the catastrophic fire in a Coptic church in Cairo
tagesschau24 3:00 p.m., 14.8.2022
The Imbaba district is a slum in Cairo: the houses are close together. At the time of the accident, about 5,000 people were in the service. Osius speaks of “dramatic scenes” in the building, which was converted into a church: “High flames shot out of the building”.
The fire is one of the worst fire tragedies in Egypt in recent years. In the country, safety standards and fire protection regulations are sometimes only insufficiently enforced.
More than 40 dead in Egyptian church fire
Tilo Spanhel, ARD Cairo, 14.8.2022 2:12 p.m