Masked gunmen opened fire on two buses and a truck carrying Coptic Christians in Minya, Egypt on Friday, killing at least 26 and injuring 26 according to local medical sources.
The buses where carrying children on a field trip. Only 3 children survived.
The attack happened as the victims traveled from Beni Suef province to the Anba Samuel monastery near the southern city of Minya, according to local security sources, cited by Haaretz.
The gunmen set the buses on fire after they opened fire according to social media reports.
There is no immediate claim of responsibility.
The provincial governor, Essam al-Bedaiwy, confirmed the preliminary death toll, reports Reuters.
Ambulances dispatched from the cities of Beni Suef and Minya are transporting victims to local hospitals in Adwa, Minya, Maghagha, according to local news outlet Youm7.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has called an emergency meeting of security officials in the wake of Friday’s attack, Reuters reports.
The US Embassy in Cairo warned of an imminent but unspecified terrorist attack on the night of May 24.
“The Embassy is aware of a potential threat posted on a website by the Hassm Group, a known terrorist organization, suggesting some kind of unspecified action this evening,” the Egypt mission said in a statement.
