At least seven people have been killed after unknown gunmen shot at a bus transporting a group of Coptic Christians in Egypt's Minya governorate on Friday, according to Ahram Online.

The group was heading to the monastery of St Samuel the Confessor.

Archbishop Angaelos of London, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, tweeted, 'Praying for casualties, survivors mourners and all those affected, as well as safety on all our faithful brethren in #Egypt.

While no further deals of the attack have been released, reports appear to indicate it echoes a similar attack in May 2017 in which 28 people were killed by Al-Qaeda-affiliation terrorists. Twenty-two other were injured.

The victims from today's reported attack were also heading to St Samuel's Monastery.

Last year's attack took place only a month after the Palm Sunday bomings of St George's Church in the northern Egyptian city of Tanta and St Mark's Cathedrals in Alexandria.

Christians in the region are particularly vulnerable to Islamist violence, with attacks on churches and individuals regularly reported.

Minya was home to the 21 Christians beheaded on a beach in Libya by Islamic State in 2015 during the anarchy that followed the ousting of President Muammar Gaddafi.