At least 44 people were killed and over 100 injured by explosions Sunday at two Coptic Christian churches in northern Egypt, the health ministry said, prompting the president to call for a three-month state of emergency following the terror attacks.

The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the incident, releasing a statement online saying the attacks were carried out by two of its suicide bombers, and warned of further attacks in Egypt.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in a televised speech that a state of emergency will be declared after legal procedures are completed, saying the measure aims "to protect the country" and prevent terrorism from hurting the country's capabilities.

"Terrorist groups are attacking the society in Egypt and dividing the country," el-Sisi said, vowing to fight terrorism and urging the public to be united against it.

According to a statement released before his television address, el-Sisi ordered the military to cooperate with police to secure key facilities in the country.

The first explosion at the church in the Nile delta city of Tanta, about 80 kilometers north of Cairo, occurred about midmorning when a service was under way to celebrate Palm Sunday, killing 27 people and injuring 56.

A few hours later, a suicide bomb attack killed 17 people and left 48 injured at another Coptic church in the coastal city of Alexandria, according to the ministry.

Pope Tawadros II, leader of the Coptic church, was at the church in Alexandria at the time, but was unhurt.

Coptic Christian churches have been the target of numerous attacks over recent years carried out by Islamic radicals, including the bombing in December of a church in Cairo that killed around 30 people.

Egypt is a Muslim-majority country, with Coptic Christians comprising about 10 percent of the population of around 93 million.