At least four people died and 88 were injured after two passenger trains collided in Egypt, according to the country’s health ministry reported by vg.no.
The crash occurred when a train traveling from Giza to Fayoum struck the rear of a train moving from Cairo to Aswan.
The impact at El Ayyat in Giza caused multiple carriages to derail and plunge down a slope alongside the tracks. BBC reported the initial death toll of four, while vg.no and Teknisk Ukeblad confirmed the 88 injuries among passengers transported to hospitals.
Emergency response teams deployed 72 ambulances to the crash site according to the health ministry figures cited by vg.no, while TV 2 noted that one of the dead is a train driver. Television and news photographs show mangled carriages resting on their sides on the embankment as heavy cranes lift the wreckage.
TV 2 reported that health authorities are monitoring the condition of all injured patients and extending condolences to the families of the dead.
Teknisk Ukeblad and Nettavisen initially reported 120 injuries before the health ministry adjusted the official figure downward to 88. A large crowd of local residents has gathered near the disaster zone as rescue crews operate heavy lifting equipment.
Egypt relies heavily on its rail network for public transportation, but the system has experienced numerous fatal crashes over decades. The deadliest railway disaster in the country’s history occurred in Giza in 2002, when 370 people died after a crowded holiday train caught fire.
A train traveling from Giza to Fayoum crashed into the rear of another train running from Cairo to Aswan, as reported by vg.no. Both passenger services were operating on the same line in El Ayyat when the rear-end collision occurred.
The Egyptian health ministry dispatched 72 ambulances to the crash site in Giza, according to reporting by vg.no and TV 2.
Official figures from the health ministry state that at least four people died and 88 others sustained injuries, as detailed by vg.no. Reports from TV 2 confirm that one of the deceased individuals was a locomotive driver working on one of the trains.
Related reading