At least seven people have been killed and more than 100 injured after two trains collided near Giza, Egypt, causing several carriages to derail and plunge down an embankment.
The country’s railway authority said the trains, travelling south from Giza and Cairo, collided in the area between Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations in Al-Ayyat.
Egypt’s President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, said he had directed relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident and ensure that anyone found negligent was held accountable.
The public prosecutor’s office warned that the death toll could rise as rescue and recovery operations continued.
The government said hospitals in the affected area had been placed on heightened alert to handle the large number of casualties.
Health Minister, Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, said victims were receiving treatment for various injuries, including broken bones and head injuries.
The Egyptian Red Crescent also deployed personnel to provide emergency assistance and psychological support to victims and their families at the scene.
The ministry confirmed that the driver of one of the trains was among those killed in the collision.
According to reports, the first train was travelling from Giza to Fayoum when it crashed into the rear of another train heading from Cairo to Aswan, which was stationary on the tracks.
Photographs from the scene showed several overturned carriages, with emergency responders and members of the public searching through the wreckage for survivors.
Train services between Giza and the Upper Egypt region were suspended as cranes were deployed to remove the damaged trains. The railway authority had yet to announce when services would resume.
The crash occurred close to the location of Egypt’s deadliest railway disaster, which happened in February 2002 when a fire engulfed a passenger train travelling from Cairo to Luxor, killing more than 370 people officially, although some estimates put the death toll higher.
Two other train accidents in the area in 2009 also claimed dozens of lives.
The latest disaster sparked calls on Sunday for Egypt’s transport minister to resign over the recurring railway accidents.
Meanwhile, foreign governments and diplomatic representatives expressed condolences and solidarity with Egypt over the tragedy.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed solidarity with Egypt and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Turkey’s Ambassador to Egypt also conveyed his condolences on X to the victims, their families and the Egyptian people.
BBC
