CAIRO, November 8 (Aalimi Nation) – At least seven people were killed and more than 100 injured on Sunday when two trains collided in the Al-Ayyat area of Giza province, south of Cairo, Egypt's Health Ministry said. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered an urgent investigation and said anyone responsible through negligence would be held accountable.
Egypt train collision: what officials have said
The Health Ministry first reported four dead and 88 injured, then raised the toll to seven dead and 112 injured. It said 45 of the injured had already left hospital and that seven more were due to be discharged soon. State media had earlier spoken of about 120 wounded; the differing figures have not been reconciled by the authorities.
The Transport Ministry and the railway authority said a train travelling from Giza to Fayoum struck the rear of another train heading south from Cairo to Aswan. Several carriages derailed, though officials did not say which train left the track. Al-Ayyat lies roughly 50 km south of Cairo, close to the Nile.
Emergency crews and cranes were sent to clear the wreckage and restore services as quickly as possible, the railway authority said. Officials said 72 ambulances took the injured to three nearby hospitals. One person was declared dead at the scene and three others died in hospital, according to the early count.
Investigation and official response
The Prosecutor General's Office has opened an investigation into the cause and circumstances of the crash, officials said. No cause has been announced.
President Sisi said he was following the accident "with great concern". In a social media post he sent condolences to the families of the victims and said those responsible through "criminal negligence" must be held accountable. He ordered a prompt investigation.
The Russian embassy in Cairo said preliminary information showed that no Russian citizens were among the dead or injured.
Background: a history of rail accidents
Al-Ayyat is the site of what is regarded as Egypt's worst rail disaster. In 2002, a fire on a crowded train carrying holiday travellers south of Cairo killed more than 370 people. In 2009, several train collisions in the same area killed dozens of people. Last September, two freight trains collided in the same district, injuring a driver and his assistant.
Around 110 million Egyptians rely heavily on rail, and the network, one of the largest in Africa, has suffered repeated deadly accidents. Over the past decade Egypt has spent billions on new highways and high-speed rail lines, but much of its ageing conventional rail system has yet to be overhauled.
What happens next
The cause of the Egypt train collision is expected to be the focus of the prosecutors' inquiry. Officials have not said whether any rail staff have been questioned or detained. The final toll could change as treatment of the injured continues, and further official statements are expected in the coming days.
