A fire which erupted in the church of the Holy Virgin in the village of Nassriya in Beni Mazar, Minya, some 50km south of Cairo, left the church severely damaged.
According to a statement issued on the evening of Saturday 17 February by the Bishopric of Beni-Mazar and Bahnassa, the fire erupted on the afternoon of that day, at 1pm. That was four hours after Holy Mass had concluded, the congregation left, and the church doors were shut. No one was inside the church as the fire raged on. The villagers, Muslims and Christians, attempted to fight the flames till the firemen arrived and extinguished the fire. Eleven individuals were injured they were moved to hospital where they were given the necessary treatment and have all been discharged.
The statement said the cause of the fire was as yet unknown, and criminal investigations were underway.
The fire destroyed the church’s roof, walls and altars.
Fr Yacoub, pastor of the church, told Watani that it was built in 1920 and serves some 12,000 Copts.
Watani International
18 February 2018