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

From Sky News, the Sunday Mirror Russia Today  and Daily News Egypt

A bomb explosion inside the main Coptic Christian cathedral in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, has killed 25 people and wounded dozens.

Reports say a bomb was lobbed inside a chapel adjacent to one of the cathedral’s walls in the centre of the city. There are conflicting reports the St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral blast was caused by an assailant ‘lobbing a bomb’ and a woman planting an IED with 6kg of explosives

It is being reported that many of the victims were women and children – yet to be confirmed. 

The bomb was reportedly placed in a female handbag in a seat in the back of the church, and the explosion hit the section where female worshipers mainly stood, which is why the majority of the victims are women, Egyptian reporter for The Washington Post, Heba Farouk Mahfouz, posted on Twitter.

Army forces were deployed at the scene after the attack, security sources told Daily News Egypt on condition of anonymity, adding that casualties may increase. 

“Fourteen ambulances transferred the injured to Dar Al-Shefaa and Demerdash hospitals,” a statement issued by the Ministry of Health said.

The Coptic Cathedral explosion came during an official holiday, celebrating the birth of Prophet Muhammad. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast yet.