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Egypt: Six killed in second church blast

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ANI Alexandria [Egypt]

At least six persons have reportedly been killed in a second explosion that occurred in front of St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, hours after a bomb attack near a church in Egypt's Tanta, north of Cairo, earlier on Sunday.

Local media reports quoted Egypt's Health Ministry as saying that six persons were killed in a blast at church in Alexandria.

The explosion took place when Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, was leading the Palm Sunday mass, local media reports said.

However, the pope has been reported unhurt in the blast.

Earlier, at least 21 people were killed and 38 others wounded after a bomb struck a church in north of Cairo.

 

The attack comes just weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit Egypt.

The attack is the latest in a series of assaults on Egypt's Christian minority, which makes up around 10 percent of the population of 92 million and has been repeatedly targeted by the Islamic extremists.

In December last year, 25 people were killed by a suicide bombing at Cairo's main Coptic cathedral. The ISIS later claimed responsibility for the blast.

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First Published: Apr 09 2017 | 5:40 PM IST

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