Following twin church bombings claimed by ISIS terrorist group, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has announced a three-month state of emergency.
So far 44 people reported dead by the ministry of health while more than 78 are hospitalized some with critical injuries from the bombing that happened as Christians celebrated Palm Sunday.
ISIS attacks in the Nile Delta cities of Tanta and Alexandria followed a Cairo church bombing in December last year and came weeks before a planned visit by Catholic Pope Francis intended to show support for Egypt's Christian minority.
The first bombing at the Mar Girgis church in Tanta city north of Cairo killed 27 people, the health ministry said.
Emergency services had scrambled to the scene when another blast rocked St Mark's church in Alexandria where Coptic Pope Tawadros II had been leading a Palm Sunday service.
Another 17 people including at least four police officers were killed in that attack, which the interior ministry said was caused by a suicide bomber who blew himself up when prevented from entering the church.
The ministry confirmed that Tawadros was unharmed, and a church official said he left before the explosion.
Eyewitnesses said a police officer detected the bomber before he blew himself up.
