Cairo, Jan 6 (IANS): Two policemen guarding a church in Egypt's Minya province, south of the capital Cairo, were killed by unidentified gunmen Tuesday, security sources said.

The two policemen died on the spot after the masked men showered them with bullets, Xinhua reported citing eyewitnesses and security sources.

The attackers stole all the weapons in the security men's possession, the sources added.

The attack took place one day before the Coptic Christmas, ahead of which security has been intensified. The website of state-run Al-Ahram newspaper also confirmed the deaths.

Following the attack, dozens of security personnel have blocked the road in front of the church to protest the killing of their colleagues.

The victims were Eid Fahim, a 57-year-old Coptic, who had only two months left to finish his service, and Mohamed Yazid, a 40-year-old Muslim.

Officials from the Minya forensic department told Xinhua that more than 32 bullets penetrated the bodies of the victims.

Coptic Christians, co-existing peacefully with the majority Sunni Muslims in Egypt, make up about 10 percent of the country's total population of 85 million.

Following former president Mohamed Morsi's removal by the military in July, 2013, a number of churches and public properties were burned and destroyed.