Two passenger trains collided Sunday in al‑Ayyat district, Giza province, about 52 kilometers (32 miles) south of Cairo, killing seven people and injuring at least 125, officials said. The conductor of one train was among those killed.
What happened
The Transportation Ministry reported that a train bound for southwestern Fayoum province struck the rear of a stationary train heading to Aswan. The crash occurred when the Fayoum train ran into the last car of the Cairo‑Aswan train, which was stopped on the same track and moving in the same direction.
Chief Prosecutor investigators arrived at the site late Sunday and confirmed the trains were on the same line when the impact took place.
Response and rescue efforts
Local residents rushed to the scene, pulling survivors from the wreckage and calling ambulances. Ayman Gamal, a resident of Kafr Girza, said around 80 injured passengers were taken by ambulance to nearby hospitals.
Survivors described chaotic conditions, with dust filling the air and some passengers trapped inside mangled cars. “There were other cars that were completely mangled,” survivor Farha Gamal said.
Emergency crews, including cranes, were dispatched to clear the wreckage and restore train service as quickly as possible, according to the Egyptian Railway Authority.
Government reaction
President Abdel‑Fattah el‑Sissi posted on social media that he has ordered a prompt investigation into the crash. The Health Ministry later announced that more than 70 of the injured had been discharged after receiving treatment.
The incident follows a similar collision in the same district last September, when a freight‑train crash injured a driver and his assistant. Egypt’s railway system has long struggled with mismanagement and aging equipment, though the government has recently announced modernization initiatives.
Historical context
Egypt’s deadliest train disaster occurred in 2002, when a fire on an overnight train killed over 300 passengers traveling from Cairo to the south.
Authorities continue to assess the cause of the al‑Ayyat collision and will release findings once the investigation is complete.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
