A 10-year-old girl died Tuesday morning as a result of her injuries from the deadly bombing of St. Peter and St. Paul Church on 11 December, a Coptic Orthodox Church spokesperson announced.
Maggie Moamen suffered lung lacerations and had bomb fragments in her brain. She was in a coma in El Glaa military hospital and was then transferred to El Demerdash hospital, but remained in critical condition, according to the Middle East News Agency (MENA).
The child’s death raised the death toll of the attack to 27.
On the first day, the figure stood at 25. Two days later, one of the dead bodies was identified by authorities as that of a suicide bomber. Earlier this week, a middle-aged woman also died in the hospital.
The attack took place during Sunday mass. It is the deadliest attack on Copts since the bombing of the Two Saints Church in Alexandria on New Year’s Eve of 2011.
The Coptic Orthodox Church announced Monday that Coptic Christmas celebrations on 7 January will still be held.
“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.”
