At least 41 people were killed in a fire at an Egyptian church, reports say

• An electrical fire broke out at a church in the Imbaba neighborhood near Cairo.
• Around 5,000 people were gathered for Mass when the fire broke out, Reuters reported.

At least 41 people were killed and 14 were injured on Sunday after a fire broke out at a church in a crowded Egyptian neighborhood, according to news reports.

Reuters reported that the electrical fire broke out at around 9 a.m. as 5,000 people gathered for Mass at the Abu Sefein church in the Imbaba neighborhood.

"People were gathering on the third and fourth floor, and we saw smoke coming from the second floor. People rushed to go down the stairs and started falling on top of each other," Yasir Munir, a worshipper at the church told Reuters.

Egypt's interior ministry said at least two officers and three civil protection service members were injured while responding to the blaze, CNN reported.

"I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims that have passed on to be with their Lord in one of his houses of worship," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a tweet.

CNN reported that most of the deaths were caused by smoke inhalation inside church classrooms. Additionally, Reuters reported that a stampede was caused after the fire blocked the entrance of the church.

Children are believed to be among the dead, Reuters reported.

"After the firefighter doused the fire, I recognized my sister's body. The bodies are all charred, and many of them are children, who were in a nursery room in the church," Maher Murad, a worshipper who left the church shortly before the fire, told Reuters.