Train crash kills seven, injures dozens near Egypt’s Cairo city
A passenger train travelling from Egypt's capital to Aswan derailed and overturned on the outskirts of Cairo, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 112 others.
The accident took place in the al-Ayyat district of Giza province, where a train travelling between Giza and Fayoum ran into the back of another train on the Cairo-to-Aswan route. The impact caused the second train to derail from its tracks and overturn onto a nearby countryside road.
Egyptian National Railways stated that emergency rescue teams and cranes were dispatched to the site to clear the wreckage and restore services as soon as possible. Authorities reported that more than 70 ambulances were involved in transport and evacuation operations, with casualties taken to nearby hospitals.
Historic danger zone
The al-Ayyat district is a historically dangerous area for rail accidents. It was the site of Egypt's worst-ever rail disaster in 2002, when a fire swept through a train carrying holiday travellers, killing over 370 people. Multiple train crashes in the area also killed dozens in 2009.
Infrastructure challenges
Egypt's 110 million people depend heavily on rail transport, but the cross-country network – one of the largest in Africa – is in need of modernisation. Over the past decade, the country has poured billions of dollars into updating its transport infrastructure, including new highways and high-speed rail lines, but has yet to overhaul much of its dated train services.
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