Authorities have initiated an investigation into a train collision that occurred in the Al-Ayyat area of Giza, Egypt, which has been marked as the site of the country’s deadliest rail disaster.
The incident involved a train traveling from Giza to Fayoum that collided with the rear of another train en route from Cairo to Aswan. Latest reports from the health ministry indicated that four passengers have died as a result of the crash, with 120 others receiving treatment for injuries in nearby hospitals. State-run media previously reported that the number of injured was listed as 88; however, this remains unconfirmed.
In response to the accident, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed his deep concern and has instructed authorities to conduct a thorough and immediate investigation to hold accountable those who may have been negligent.
Emergency crews have been working diligently to clear the wreckage, which included several train carriages overturned at the scene. Observers reported that one end of a train was crumpled into a twisted mass of metal while the other end had derailed and fell onto an adjacent farm.
This latest tragedy has invoked memories of Egypt’s previous rail disasters, including a catastrophic incident in 2002 where over 370 individuals lost their lives in a fire aboard a train. Despite recent billions invested into modernizing transport infrastructure, Egypt’s railway network, one of the largest in Africa, remains plagued by safety issues and frequent accidents.
