UPDATE – Second bombing rocks Egypt church; 9 killed

*UPDATES DEATH TOLL

By Hussein Qabani

CAIRO (AA) – Nine people were killed in a second church bombing in Egypt on Sunday, hours after at least 21 people were killed in a church explosion in northern Egypt.

An explosion hit a security checkpoint outside St. Mark’s Cathedral in the coastal city of Alexandria, an Egyptian security source said.

“Nine people, including three security personnel, were killed in the bombing,” the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

A church source said Coptic Pope Tawadros II was inside the church when the bombing took place but he was unhurt.

Egyptian authorities have yet to comment on the blast.

The bombing came hours after an explosion struck inside St. George church in the Nile Delta city of Tanta, killing at least 21 people and injuring 59 others.

There was no claim of responsibility for Sunday’s blasts, which occurred on Palm Day, a Christian feast commemorating the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem.

In December, a bomb blast struck a church in central Cairo, killing more than 25 people and injured scores.

Coptic Christians are estimated to account for between 8 and 10 percent of Egypt's population of about 90 million.