A passenger train travelling from Giza to Fayoum crashed into the rear of a stationary service heading south to Aswan on Sunday, leaving at least seven people dead and over 100 injured, according to news.com.au.
The impact in Giza’s Al-Ayyat district caused several carriages to derail, scattering debris across adjacent railway tracks and surrounding farmland. Egypt’s health ministry confirmed that 112 people sustained injuries ranging from fractures to head lacerations, while The Guardian reported the total injury count reached at least 125.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stated on social media that he was following the accident with great concern and ordered an urgent investigation to hold anyone negligent accountable, news.com.au reported. The Egyptian Railway Authority dispatched emergency teams and cranes to clear the wreckage and restore normal train schedules, ABC News reported.
The public prosecutor’s office launched an inquiry into the technical causes behind the crash. Meanwhile, the transport ministry noted that an initial inspection showed the Cairo-Aswan train was stationary on the track when the Fayoum-bound service struck it, according to The Guardian.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes as villagers, railway workers, and first responders rushed to pull survivors from overturned carriages. “There were people piled on top of each other inside,” witness Ahmed Moussa told news.com.au, adding that he saw two women among the dead.
Farha Gamal, a survivor inside the Fayoum train, told The Guardian that she saw passengers who appeared dead while others struggled to escape mangled cars. Around 45 patients were discharged from nearby hospitals after receiving treatment for bruises and fractures, while health officials expected seven more to be released shortly.
The Al-Ayyat area has a history of major railway disasters, including a 2002 fire on a holiday train that killed more than 370 people, according to news.com.au. The Guardian noted that Egypt’s deadliest rail incident occurred that same year when over 300 people died on an overnight train, and subsequent crashes occurred in the region in 2009 and September of the previous year.
Egypt relies heavily on its railway network, one of the largest in Africa, to serve its population of 110 million. Despite billions of dollars spent over the past decade on new highways and high-speed lines, the aging rail infrastructure continues to face deadly accidents.
A passenger service travelling from Giza to Fayoum struck the rear of a stationary train heading from Cairo to Aswan.
The Ministry of Health confirmed seven fatalities, while injury counts reported by authorities ranged from 112 to at least 125.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered an urgent inquiry, and the public prosecutor’s office is currently investigating the technical reasons behind the derailment.
Earlier coverage: Multiple Dead and 88 Injured in Egypt Train Collision
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