Two trains collided in Giza province on Sunday, killing at least seven. President Sisi ordered an urgent investigation.
Two trains collided in Egypt’s Giza province on Sunday, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 100, the health ministry said. Several carriages overturned in the crash, which happened around 1:30 p.m. local time in the Al-Ayyat area, south of Cairo.
Egypt’s National Railways Authority said a train traveling from Giza to Fayoum hit the rear of another service heading south from Cairo to Aswan. The collision happened between the Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations. Dozens of ambulances took the injured to nearby hospitals, and cranes were sent to clear the wreckage. The health ministry said 45 of the injured had been discharged.
The toll has risen through the day. An initial ministry count reported four dead and 88 injured. Reports later put the injured at 112 and more than 125.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said he was following the accident with great concern and ordered an urgent investigation to hold anyone found negligent accountable. Al-Ayyat was the site of multiple train crashes in 2009 that killed dozens. Egypt’s rail network is one of Africa’s largest and has suffered repeated deadly accidents.
This report draws on AFP, CNN, Al Jazeera and the Times of Israel.