Two trains collided on Sunday in the Al-Ayyat region, south of Cairo, causing several wagons to derail. The provisional toll reports seven dead and more than one hundred injured.
The disaster occurred between the Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations, in the Giza governorate. A train traveling from Giza to Fayoum rear-ended a convoy coming from Cairo to Aswan, which was stopped on the track. The impact caused several wagons to derail, some of which tipped over or broke apart. The driver of one of the two trains is among the victims.
Images released from the accident site show unharmed passengers and locals searching the overturned cars for survivors, while a major rescue operation was underway. The Egyptian Red Crescent stated it is providing material aid and psychological support to the victims and their families.
Health Minister Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar specified that the injured mainly suffered fractures and head trauma. Hospitals in the region have been placed on high alert to handle the influx of patients. The public prosecutor warned that the death toll could still rise.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi ordered an investigation and announced that anyone found negligent will be held responsible. Voices have risen in Egypt calling for the resignation of the Transport Minister. Rail traffic between Giza and Upper Egypt has been suspended, with cranes dispatched to clear the wreckage.
The disaster area is sadly familiar with railway accidents. Near this same sector, a fire devastated in February 2002 a passenger train traveling from Cairo to Luxor, officially causing more than 370 deaths, a toll some estimates consider underestimated. Two other accidents in the region in 2009 also claimed several dozen lives.
On the diplomatic front, Saudi Arabia expressed its “solidarity” with Egypt, while the Turkish ambassador to Cairo sent on the social network X his “sincere condolences” to the victims’ families and the Egyptian people.
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