At least 10 people have been killed as a result of a church attack in Helwan, south of Cairo, Egypt's Health Ministry said on Friday.

According to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), the attack also left five people wounded, who were taken to nearby hospitals for necessary medical treatment, the ministry's spokesman Khaled Mejahed said in a press statement.

Security forces at the Mar Mina church shot dead one gunman, while they were still trying to arrest the other gunmen, the Ministry of Interior said earlier in the day.

The attack comes ahead of New Year celebrations and the Coptic Christmas on 7 January.