Blast Hits Coptic Church in Egypt's Tanta, Killing at Least 13

(Bloomberg) -- An explosion tore through a church in the Nile Delta city of Tanta on Palm Sunday, killing at least 13 people and wounding at least 42 others in yet another deadly attack on a Christian holiday.

A second blast rocked a police training center in the same city shortly after, the Al Arabiya news channel reported, without giving casualty figures.

The first explosion occurred inside the Mar Girgis church and was caused by a bomb, the state-run Middle East News Agency reported. Magdi Awad, the head of the ambulance authority in the area provided the casualty toll. A deadly bombing targeting the country's Coptic Christian minority during a church service in December killed at least 25 worshippers.

Egyptian authorities have been waging a war on militants, with much of the fighting centered in northern Sinai. Militants have sometimes struck outside the area, however, taking aim at Christians and security forces.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tarek El-Tablawy in Cairo at teltablawy@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel

Unlock this article for free
Sign up to access exclusive stories, fewer ads, and a personalised experience.
Set as Trusted Source
on Google Search
Add NDTV Profit As Google Preferred Source