Egypt church bombing death toll rises to 27 with death of 10-year-old child

Jardine Malado Thursday, December 22, 2016

Relatives of Ensaf Adel, a Christian woman who was killed in the bombing of Cairo's main Coptic cathedral, carry her body to bury her at the Mokattam Cemetery in Cairo, Egypt. | Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

The death toll of the bombing at St. Peter and St. Paul's Church in Cairo last week has risen to 27 after a 10-year-old Egyptian girl died from her injuries.

Maggie Moemen, who suffered injuries in her brain and lungs, has been in a coma in El Galaa military hospital since the attack on Dec. 11. Due to her critical condition, she was transferred to El Demerdash hospital in Cairo, where she died on Tuesday morning.

According to a report from Egyptian Streets, Moemen's mother, Nermine, survived the attack, but she was also injured. Her sister, Mira, was outside the church when the bomb exploded and did not sustain any injury.

The church bombing is seen as the deadliest attack on Egyptian civilians in recent years. Many of those who were killed and injured in the attack were women and children.

The health ministry said that 17 people are still in the hospital, three of whom are in serious condition.

Twenty-five people died on the day of the explosion. The 26th victim, 70-year-old Odette Saleh Mikhail, died at Demerdash Hospital on Friday.

The day after the attack, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi identified the suicide bomber as 22-year-old Mahmoud Shafik Mohamed Mostafa. A state funeral was held for the victims on Monday, and the president declared three days of mourning.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack and identified the bomber by his pseudonym, Abu Abdallah al-Masri.

The interior ministry said that four people, including a woman, were arrested in connection to the attack.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Cathedral in Cairo to demand the dismissal of Magdy Abdel Ghaffar, the interior minister. Christians believe that the attacks against them are not being thoroughly investigated.

The Coptic Orthodox Church said that the celebrations for the Coptic Christmas on Jan. 7 will push ahead despite the attack.

"The church said goodbye to its martyrs with honour. We only feel bad for those whose hearts are filled with hatred," the church said in a statement.

"Regardless of the formality of celebrations, it is important to mark the day that spreads messages of love among the sons of this country," it added.