Egypt’s First Lady offers condolences for victims of Imbaba Church fire

CAIRO – 14 August 2022: Egypt’s First Lady Entissar El Sisi offered her deep condolences for the victims of a huge fire that swept through the Coptic Church in Imamba on Sunday.

“I offer my deep and sincere condolences for the victims of the Imbaba church fire. I ask God almighty to engulf them with His vast mercy and grant patience and solace to their families and wish the injured a very speedy recovery,” the First Lady said.

A total of 41 people and 12 others were injured in the fire at the Abo Sefein Church in Imbaba district in Giza Governorate on Sunday, mostly due to suffocation and stampede.

A priest, Abdel Maseeh Bakhit, died in the Abu Seifein Church fire on Sunday, according to a church statement.

Reports say that many of the victims are children because a nursery attached to the church was one of the affected buildings.

Four fire trucks rushed to the scene in a bid to contain the blaze. Police cordoned off the place.

Fire fighters began cooling operations to make sure that fire would not erupt again given high temperature and the availability of large quantities of wood inside the church.

President Sisi directed all relevant state institutions to immediately take all necessary measures to deal with this incident and its effects, and to provide all aspects of health care for the injured.

Giza governorate is situated on the west bank of the Nile River opposite Cairo.

Many countries offered their sincere condolences to Egypt such as The UAE which expressed its sincere condolences to Egypt over the victims, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

In a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the Iraqi Foreign Ministry also offered sincere condolences to Egypt over the victims. The ministry said Iraq stands by the government and people of Egypt at this difficult time.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry offered heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathy to Egypt over the victims of a huge fire that broke out at "Abo Sefein" Church. In a statement, Spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry Haitham Abu Al Foul asserted that Jordan stands by the government and people of Egypt, expressing sincere condolences to the victims' families and wishing a speedy recovery for the wounded.

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah on Sunday sent a cable of condolences to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi over the victims of the deadly fire. In his cable, the Kuwaiti Emir expressed his deepest sympathy with the victims' families and wished the injured a quick recovery, KUNA News Agency reported.

Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah and Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al Sabah sent similar cables of condolence to the Egyptian leader, expressing their deepest sympathy with the victims' families.