Four people were killed and 88 others injured when two trains collided south of the Egyptian capital, derailing several carriages in the Giza governorate.
The accident occurred on Sunday when a train traveling from Giza to Fayoum crashed into the rear of another service heading south from Cairo to Aswan. The health ministry reported an initial casualty count of four fatalities and 88 individuals receiving hospital treatment for injuries in the Giza area. Earlier reports from state-owned media had indicated 120 wounded, without specifying the severity of their injuries.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed his deep concern over the incident and ordered an urgent investigation to identify and hold accountable any individuals found responsible for negligence. Emergency crews were dispatched to the scene, utilizing cranes to remove the wreckage. Journalists at the site observed several overturned carriages, with one train's end severely crumpled and the other toppled off the tracks into an adjacent farm.
Authorities have initiated an investigation into the cause of the crash, which took place in Al-Ayyat, an area with a history of significant rail disasters. In 2002, over 370 people perished in a train fire south of Cairo, and multiple train collisions in the vicinity in 2009 resulted in dozens of deaths.
Egypt's extensive rail network, one of the largest in Africa and vital for its 110 million population, has been plagued by recurrent fatal accidents. Despite substantial government investment in modernizing transport infrastructure, including highways and high-speed rail, significant portions of the nation's aging rail network remain in need of overhaul.
