Seven Killed, More Than 100 Injured as Two Trains Collide South of Cairo
Seven people were killed and more than 100 injured on Sunday when two passenger trains collided in Egypt’s Giza governorate, derailing several carriages and bringing rail services south of Cairo to a halt.
The collision happened in the Al-Ayyat district, between Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations, about 52 kilometres south of the capital. According to the Egyptian National Railways Authority, a train travelling from Giza to Fayoum struck the rear of another service heading from Cairo to Aswan, which was stationary on the same track. Several carriages derailed, with some plunging down an embankment.
Egypt’s health ministry said seven people had died and 112 were injured, in figures updated as rescue work continued. The chief prosecutor’s office later put the toll at seven killed and at least 125 injured, and warned that the death toll could rise. The driver of one of the trains was among those killed. More than 70 of the injured had been discharged from hospital after treatment, the ministry said.
Investigation ordered
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said he had ordered a prompt investigation into the circumstances of the crash and that anyone found negligent would be held accountable. Investigators from the public prosecutor’s office arrived at the site on Sunday, and an early inspection indicated the Giza-to-Fayoum train had collided with the last carriage of the stationary Cairo-to-Aswan service. The cause of the crash had not been officially established.
Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said victims were being treated for injuries including broken bones and head injuries, and that hospitals in the area had been placed on heightened alert. The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was providing assistance and psychological support to victims and their families at the scene. More than 70 ambulances were dispatched to the site, according to reports.
Services suspended
Train services between Giza and the Upper Egypt region were suspended while cranes were brought in to remove the damaged trains. The railway authority had not announced when services would resume.
The crash comes days after Spain’s transport minister resigned following two deadly train crashes that killed 115 people, a reminder that rail safety remains a pressing issue well beyond Egypt’s borders.
A familiar stretch of track
The collision happened close to the site of Egypt’s deadliest railway disaster. In February 2002, a fire engulfed a passenger train travelling from Cairo to Luxor, killing more than 370 people officially, although some estimates put the toll higher.
Egypt has suffered a series of fatal rail accidents in recent years, despite government investment in modernising signalling and rolling stock. Sunday’s crash will add to pressure on the authorities to explain how two trains came to be on the same stretch of track.
What happens next
The public prosecutor’s investigation is continuing, and the railway authority is expected to publish its findings on the signalling and scheduling decisions behind the collision. AFP also reported the ministry’s toll of seven dead and 112 injured and said authorities had opened an investigation.
For now, the priority is the injured still in hospital and the families of those killed. It was also a weekend of disaster elsewhere: a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck central Japan on Sunday, injuring dozens.
