At least seven people have been killed and more than 100 injured after two trains collided south of Cairo, Egyptian authorities said.
The crash happened in the al-Ayyat district of Giza province, around 32 miles south of the capital, when a train bound for Fayoum struck the rear of a Cairo-to-Aswan service.
One of the trains derailed. The Egyptian Prosecutor General’s office said an initial inspection indicated that the Giza-Fayoum train hit the final carriage of the Cairo-Aswan train, which was stationary on the same track and travelling in the same direction.
Figures released by the Health Ministry were lower, putting the death toll at four and the number of injured at 88. Those hurt were taken to nearby hospitals, while a train driver was among those reported killed.
Investigators arrived at the scene as emergency teams and cranes were sent to clear the wreckage. The Egyptian Railway Authority said efforts were under way to restore services to their normal schedule as soon as possible.
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said he was following the aftermath “with great concern” and extended his condolences to the families of those who died.
“I have directed state agencies to provide the necessary medical care, promptly investigate the circumstances of the accident and hold accountable anyone found to have been negligent,” he said.
The collision took place in the same district where a train driver and his assistant were injured in September after two freight trains crashed.
Egypt has invested billions of dollars in transport infrastructure over the past decade, including highways and high-speed rail lines, but much of its existing railway network has yet to be overhauled.
