Deadly Palm Sunday for Egypt’s Coptic churches hit by bomb blasts

Relatives of the victims gathered in front of the church in Tanta after the attack. PHOTO: REUTERS

Two blasts targeting Coptic Christians in Egypt on Palm Sunday have killed at least 45 people, officials say.

An explosion at St George’s Coptic church in Tanta killed 29 people. Hours later, a blast outside St Mark’s Coptic church in Alexandria left 16 dead.

So-called Islamic State (IS) said it was behind the explosions, the latest in a series of attacks targeting the Christian minority in the country.

President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi ordered military deployments across Egypt.

In a statement, he said the army would be sent to protect “vital and important infrastructure”. The government announced three days of mourning.

In Alexandria, Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Church, had been attending Mass inside the church targeted but was not hurt, state media reported.

Four police officers, including one policewoman, were among those killed, the interior ministry said. The suicide bomber blew himself up after they stopped him from entering the church.

The first explosion in Tanta, 94km (58 miles) north of Cairo, took place near the altar of the church. It remains unclear if it was also caused by a suicide bomber.

“I saw pieces of body parts and broken seats. There was so much blood everywhere, some people had half of their bodies missing. The first three rows [inside the church] were destroyed,” Nabil Nader, an eyewitness, said.

The explosions injured at least 71 people in Tanta and 35 others in Alexandria, the health ministry said.

The blasts appear to have been timed for maximum impact, as people gathered to mark Palm Sunday. It is one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem.

Egyptian security forces had been put on alert in anticipation of attacks.

The attacks come weeks before an expected visit by Pope Francis intended to show support for the country’s Christian minority. He condemned the explosions.

“I pray for the dead and the injured, and I am close in spirit to the family members [of the victims] and to the entire community,” the Pope said.