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Dozens of people have died after a fire broke out at a church in Egypt, many of them crushed during a desperate scramble to escape, BBC reported.

Officials say the number of dead is at least 41, with dozens injured. Children are believed to be among the dead.

An electrical fire broke out as 5,000 worshippers gathered for Mass at the Coptic Abu Sifin church in Giza, security sources told Reuters.

The fire blocked an entrance, causing a stampede, they said.

Citing hospital records, CNN reported that some 18 children, aged between 3 to 16 years old, were killed.

Fire services said the exact cause of the fire remains unclear. However, Father Farid Fahmy, from another nearby church in the Imbaba neighbourhood, told the AFP news agency that it was sparked by a short circuit.

"The power was out and they were using a generator," he said. "When the power came back, it caused an overload."

Worshippers have been explaining their moments since the blaze ignited, according to BBC.

"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 told Reuters.

"Then we heard a bang and sparks and fire coming out of the window," he said, adding that he and his daughter were on the ground floor and able to escape.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offered his "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".

He has ordered the armed forces to rebuild the church.

The prosecutor's office said it had sent a team to the scene to investigate the cause of the blaze.

Giza lies just across the Nile from Cairo and is part of the Greater Cairo metropolis.

Coptic Christians make up at least 10 million of Egypt's 103 million people, BBC reported.

Copts claims they face discrimination and play a lesser part in Egyptian public life than their numbers justify.

Nepal recorded 455 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths on Sunday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 308 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 305 returned positive. Likewise, 2, 521 people underwent antigen tests, of which 150 tested positive.

As of today, there are 5, 435 active cases in the country.

Locals vandalized and set fire to under construction Sanjen Hydropower Project in Rasuwa on Sunday.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the IPO to be issued for the locals, the people of Gatlang vandalized and set fire to the project.

According to the information provided by the project, the locals vandalized the side office and vehicles among others and set them on fire.

A group of 70-80 people of Gatlang vandalized the office demanding that they be included in the list of the most affected while distributing the share.

They also attacked the staffers of the project.

It has been learnt that property worth millions were destroyed in the attack.

Thirteen passengers were killed while five were injured when a sugar-laden truck came into contact with coaster in Rahim Yar Khan’s (RYK) Liaquatpur tehsil, according to a Rescue 1122 handout, Dawn reported.

According to the handout, the accident occurred in Feroza town and rescue officials from Liaquatpur and Khanpur tehsils along with 10 emergency vehicles as well as district administration’s cranes were involved in the rescue and clearance operation.

The handout said that the dead and the injured were moved to Feroza Rural Health Centre for treatment.

RYK Deputy Commissioner (DC) Syed Musa Raza told Dawn.com that the rescue operation was completed after 7:30pm.

He said that an inquiry would be initiated to ascertain the main reason for the incident after the completion of rescue activities, according to Dawn.

According to a handout from the district information office, medical aid was being provided to the injured and the DC instructed that the bodies be sent back to their native areas after identification.