TANTA / ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT — Two Coptic churches were hit by self-eliminators over the weekend, resulting in dozens of lives lost, and more than 100 parishioners badly injured on Palm Sunday, an annual Christian holy day which takes place a week prior to Easter.

On April 9 at approximately 9:30 a.m. in Tanta, Egypt, worshippers were inside St. George’s church, when a device was placed under a bench near the altar. When the device detonated, a fiery blast spread through the church and destroyed more than 20 people, leaving almost 80 others with severe injuries.

Hours later in Alexandria, Egypt, a man wearing a rigged belt tried to enter the gates of St. Mark’s Cathedral, when a policeman directed him to a metal detector. Seconds later, another blast tore through the busy street, likely from the belt detonating. At least 17 people perished and some 40 were wounded.

A well-known, widely-feared religiously-motivated group has since claimed responsibility for the horrific events.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has declared a three-month state of emergency across the country. The measure must get parliamentary approval before it is implemented.