At least seven people were killed and more than 100 were injured on Sunday when two trains collided in al-Ayyat district in Giza province, about 52 kilometers south of Cairo.1,3,4,5
The crash occurred when a train traveling from Giza to Fayoum ran into the rear of another service traveling from Cairo to Aswan, causing several carriages to derail. The public prosecutor's office warned the death toll could rise, and the reports differed on the early casualty count, with most outlets reporting at least seven dead and more than 100 injured while the New York Post put the figure at at least four dead and nearly 100 injured.1,2,3,4,5
The railway authority said the two trains were traveling south from Giza and Cairo when they collided, causing several carriages to derail and fall down an embankment. Al Jazeera reported, citing authorities, that it was the second train, on the Cairo-to-Aswan route, that left the tracks onto a countryside road. Images from the scene showed overturned carriages, with the body of at least one appearing to have split in two, and uninjured passengers and passersby searching inside them for injured people.1,5
The driver of one of the trains was among those killed, the health ministry confirmed. Health Minister Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said people were being treated for broken bones and head injuries. The collision took place in the area between Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations and near the Gerza junction, on the Cairo-Aswan agricultural road.1,3
The number of ambulances sent to the scene also differed between accounts. The Independent reported as many as 72 ambulances deployed to evacuate the injured to three different hospitals, Al Jazeera reported more than 70 ambulances involved in transport and evacuation operations, and DW reported 52 ambulances deployed to the scene. Casualties were taken to nearby hospitals, and the government said hospitals in the area had been put "on heightened alert" to deal with an influx of patients.1,3,4,5
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said he had ordered state authorities to "investigate the circumstances of the accident, and hold accountable anyone found to have been negligent". He said, "I am following the aftermath of the train collision with great concern and extend my deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, along with my sincere wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured,"1,3,4
The health ministry said it would continue to monitor the casualties and provide them with full medical care. It said all health facilities in Giza and Beni Suef governorates were ordered to raise their level of alertness and to provide all necessary medical and emergency support to the injured.3
The Egyptian Railway Authority said emergency teams and cranes were on hand to clear the wreckage and restore the service as soon as possible, and Egyptian National Railways said emergency rescue teams and cranes were dispatched to the scene to clear the wreckage and restore train services to their normal schedule as soon as possible. Trains between Giza and the Upper Egypt region were suspended as cranes were dispatched to remove the wrecked trains and restore railway traffic through al-Ayyat.1,3,4,5
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear. The Independent reported that it was not immediately clear which train had derailed. Last September, a train driver and his assistant were injured after two freight trains collided in the same district.3,4
The district is the site of previous deadly crashes. In February 2002, a fire engulfed a passenger train traveling from Cairo to Luxor, killing more than 370 people officially reported, although some estimates put the toll considerably higher, and the train continued for around nine kilometers before coming to a halt. Two further crashes in the area in 2009 killed dozens more. Al Jazeera reported that Egypt's 110 million people depend heavily on rail transport, but the cross-country network, one of the largest in Africa, is in need of modernisation, and that over the past decade Egypt has poured billions of dollars into updating transport infrastructure, including new highways and high-speed rail lines, but has yet to overhaul much of its dated train services.1,5
There were calls in Egypt on Sunday for the transport minister to resign over the latest disaster.1
