Admin l Friday, May 26, 2017
MINYA, Egypt – Not less than 23 coptic Christians were this morning killed and 25 others injured when gunmen opened fire on their bus in Minya Province, Central Egypt.
Accorddimg to BBC, the incident occurred south of the capital Cairo, as the bus heads to the Monastery of St Samuel.
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has declared a nationwide state of emergency following the incident and promise to do whatever is necessary to confront the jihadists.
Members of the church have been targeted in recent bombings with scores of lives lost.
The Coptic Orthodox Church is the main Christian Church in Egypt. While most Copts live in Egypt, the Church has about a million members outside the country.
Copts believe that their Church dates back to around 50 AD, when the Apostle Mark is said to have visited Egypt. The head of the Church is called the Pope and is considered to be the successor of St Mark.