Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the bomb attack that killed 21 people and wounded 70 others at the al-Qiddissin Coptic Church in Alexandria, Egypt, on New Year's Eve.

He said he was appalled by the violence and expressed his support for efforts by the Egyptian authorities to bring those responsible to justice.

"The Secretary-General conveys his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of the Arab Republic of Egypt," said a statement issued spokesman of the Secretary-General overnight.