Train crash kills seven, injures dozens near Egyptian city of Cairo | Transport news

The passenger train was traveling from the Egyptian capital to Aswan in the south when it derailed, overturning carriages.

At least seven people were killed and more than 125 others injured in a train crash on the outskirts of Cairo in Egypt’s Giza province, according to the Egyptian Health Ministry.

A train traveling between Giza and Fayoum collided with the rear of another train on Sunday on the Cairo-Aswan route, causing the latter to derail from its tracks on a country road in al-Ayyat district, authorities said.

Emergency rescue teams and cranes were dispatched to the scene to clear the rubble and restore train services to their normal schedule as soon as possible, the Egyptian National Railways said.

Authorities say more than 70 ambulances were involved in transport and evacuation operations at the accident site, with the injured taken to nearby hospitals.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi said he was following the accident “with great concern” and had ordered authorities to carry out an urgent investigation to “hold to account anyone found negligent.”

Witnesses described chaotic rescue efforts after the collision, as villagers, first responders and railroad workers rushed to reach passengers trapped in overturned train cars.

Abdel Wahed Mohamed, 31, who was sitting in a nearby cafe when the collision occurred, said the Aswan-bound train had stopped when the Fayoum-bound train crashed into it.

“The train overturned around 1:30 p.m. (11:30 GMT). Six carriages overturned,” he said, adding that the victims suffered various injuries, including head injuries and broken limbs.

Another witness, Ahmed Moussa, 25, said rescuers dug under an overturned train car to reach trapped passengers.

“There were people piled on top of each other inside,” he said, adding that he saw two women among the dead.

Taha Abdel Tawab, 43, said he “saw a young man getting off the train with his dead father”.

Previous accidents

Al-Ayyat district, where the collision occurred, is also the site of Egypt’s worst-ever train disaster.

In 2002, more than 370 people were killed when a fire ripped through a train carrying vacationers south of Cairo. In 2009, several train accidents in the region left dozens dead.

Egypt’s 110 million people rely heavily on rail transport, but the cross-border network – one of the largest in Africa – needs upgrading.

Over the past decade, Egypt has invested billions of dollars in upgrading its transport infrastructure, including new highways and high-speed rail lines, but has yet to renovate much of its outdated rail services.