At least seven people died and more than 112 others sustained injuries in a train collision near Cairo in Egypt’s Giza province, the country’s Health Ministry reported. The incident occurred on Sunday when a train operating between Giza and Fayoum struck the rear of another train on the Cairo-to-Aswan route.
Rescue Operations and Response
The impact caused the Cairo-to-Aswan train to derail from the tracks onto a countryside road located in the al-Ayyat district, according to authorities. Egyptian National Railways deployed emergency rescue teams alongside cranes to the crash site to clear the wreckage and resume normal train operations as quickly as possible.
Officials stated that over 70 ambulances participated in the transport and evacuation of the injured from the scene, with all casualties transferred to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.
History of Rail Disasters in Egypt
The al-Ayyat district, where the collision took place, previously served as the location for Egypt’s deadliest rail disaster. A devastating fire swept through a holiday passenger train south of Cairo in 2002, resulting in the deaths of more than 370 people, followed by additional fatal train crashes in the same area during 2009.
Egypt’s population of 110 million relies heavily on rail transport, leaving one of Africa’s largest cross-country rail networks in urgent need of modernization. Over the last decade, the government has invested billions of dollars into upgrading transport infrastructure through new highways and high-speed rail lines, while a significant portion of the older train services awaits a comprehensive overhaul.
