Seven killed as trains collide in Giza province

Seven people died and more than 100 others were injured when two trains collided on Sunday in Giza province, Egypt’s Chief Prosecutor’s office confirmed.

The crash happened in al-Ayyat district, located 52 kilometers south of Cairo. The Transportation Ministry reported that a train heading to Fayoum province struck the rear of a Cairo-Aswan train. The Aswan-bound train was stopped on the same track and moving in the same direction.

Investigators from the Chief Prosecutor’s office arrived at the scene late Sunday. Their initial inspection found that the Giza-Fayoum train hit the last carriage of the stationary Cairo-Aswan service. The conductor of the crashed train was among the seven fatalities.

Ayman Gamal, a resident of Kafr Girza near the crash site, told reporters that locals rushed to help. They pulled survivors from the wreckage and called for medical aid. Gamal estimated that about 80 injured passengers were transported to nearby hospitals by ambulance. He noted that some passengers were trapped inside one of the carriages and were dead when rescuers pulled them out.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi posted on social media that he ordered a prompt investigation into the incident. The Egyptian Railway Authority stated that emergency teams and cranes were sent to clear the debris. The goal is to restore regular train services to the schedule as quickly as possible.

Rail accidents occur frequently in Egypt due to a history of mismanagement and poor equipment maintenance. The government has launched modernization initiatives in recent years to address these issues. In September of last year, two freight trains collided in the same al-Ayyat district, injuring a driver and his assistant.

The most deadly rail disaster in Egypt’s history occurred in 2002. More than 300 people lost their lives when a fire broke out on an overnight train traveling from Cairo to southern Egypt.