Train collision south of Cairo kills four and injures 88; Sisi orders inquiry

Four people were killed and 88 injured when two passenger trains collided in Egypt’s Giza province, south of Cairo, the Egyptian Health Ministry said on Sunday, 8 November.

A train travelling to Fayoum struck the rear of a train heading to Aswan in the al-Ayyat district, about 50 km south of the capital, and several carriages came off the tracks, according to Egypt’s state railway authority.

The response

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said he had told state agencies to give the injured medical care and to investigate the crash. He ordered a swift inquiry and said anyone found negligent should be held to account.

Emergency teams and cranes were sent to the site to clear the wreckage and restore normal train services as soon as possible. The authorities have not said what caused the collision.

The background

Egypt’s railway network, among the oldest in the world, has a history of serious accidents. Sunday’s figures were from the Health Ministry, and officials did not say how many of the injured were in a serious condition.