Seven people were killed and more than 100 others were injured when two trains collided south of Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday, according to a statement from the Chief Prosecutor’s office. The train conductor was among the deceased.
The crash occurred in the al-Ayyat district of Giza province, approximately 52 kilometers (32 miles) south of the capital. Officials stated that a train bound for Fayoum province collided with the rear of a train traveling to Aswan that was stationary on the same track and moving in the same direction.
Investigators from the Chief Prosecutor's office were dispatched to the scene and indicated that the collision happened when the train heading to Fayoum struck the last carriage of the Cairo-bound train.
Train accidents are frequent in Egypt, often attributed to mismanagement and poor maintenance of equipment. The government has announced modernization initiatives in recent years to address these issues.
Residents of the area, including Ayman Gamal from Kafr Girza, rushed to the scene to assist survivors and contact ambulances. Gamal reported seeing around 80 injured individuals transported to nearby hospitals, with some passengers trapped in the stationary train's carriage confirmed dead upon extraction.
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi announced that a prompt investigation into the crash has been ordered. The Egyptian Railway Authority confirmed that emergency teams and cranes were deployed to clear the wreckage and resume normal train services.
This incident follows a previous collision in the same district last September, which injured a train driver and his assistant after two freight trains crashed. Egypt's deadliest train accident occurred in 2002, resulting in over 300 fatalities when a fire erupted on an overnight train.