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At least seven people have been killed in Egypt by gunmen who opened fire on a bus carrying a group of Coptic Christians, officials say.

A number of people were also injured in the attack in the Minya region, south of the capital Cairo.

The bus was heading towards a local monastery, a senior Coptic cleric says.

The Islamic State group says it carried out the attack. Islamist militants have targeted Egypt's Coptic Christian minority repeatedly in recent years.

Egypt's Copts have in the past accused the authorities of making only token gestures to protect them from such attacks.

Egypt is a Muslim-majority country and its Christian minority - mostly members of the Coptic Orthodox Church - make up around 10% of the population.