Two trains collide south of Cairo, killing at least seven

Two trains collided Sunday south of Cairo, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 100, authorities said.

The crash occurred in the al-Ayyat district in Giza province, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Cairo, when a train traveling to the southwestern Fayoum province crashed into the rear of a train heading to the southern province of Aswan, according to the transport ministry. One of the trains derailed.

The health ministry gave the casualty toll, adding more than 70 of the injured were discharged after receiving treatment. The health ministry initially said four people were killed but increased the death toll to seven later in the day.

Response and investigation

Egypt’s president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, said in a social media post that he had ordered a prompt investigation. The Times of Israel reported that Sissi said anyone found negligent should be held accountable.

Emergency teams and cranes were dispatched to the crash site to clear the wreckage and restore train services to their normal schedule as soon as possible, the Egyptian railway authority said.

Context

Train derailments and crashes are common in Egypt, where the railway system has a history of mismanagement and poor maintenance of equipment. In recent years the government has announced modernisation initiatives to improve its railways.

Last September, a train driver and his assistant were injured after two freight trains collided in the same district.

Egypt’s deadliest train crash was in 2002 when more than 300 people were killed after a fire broke out on an overnight train journeying from Cairo to southern Egypt.

Why it matters

The collision adds to Egypt’s record of rail accidents and follows a government push to modernize the railway network. The president’s ordered investigation will examine the technical reasons behind the crash.

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Sources

• theguardian.com: Collision of two trains in Egypt kills at least seven | Egypt | The Guardian
• aviation24.be: Train collision near Cairo kills at least seven and injures 112 - Aviation24.be
• nbcnews.com: Collision between 2 trains in Egypt kills 7 and injures 112 others
• timesofisrael.com: Collision between two trains in Egypt's Giza kills at least 7 and injures over 100 | The Times of Israel

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.