18 dead, 40 injured in explosion at Saint Mark’s Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria

The death toll rose to 18 and the number of injured to 40 in an explosion at Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in the Manshiya district of Alexandria on Sunday, according to the Health Ministry.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosion outside the church, Angelious Izhaq, the secretary of Pope Tawadros, told ONTV.

Izhaq confirmed that the Pope, who is in Alexandria for Palm Sunday services, was unharmed.

Saint Mark’s Cathedral is the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The IS group claimed responsibility, through their social media affiliate accounts, for Sunday’s churches’ explosions in Egypt, which left at least 36 dead and dozens injured in both Nile Delta’s Tanta and the coastal city of Alexandria.

Source: Ahram online