Egypt: Two dead, 16 hurt in a train accident

A passenger train derailed Tuesday (Mar. 7) north of Cairo, killing at least 2 people and injuring a further 16, Egyptian authorities said.

At least 20 ambulances were dispatched to the scene and the injured transferred to nearby hospitals.

A ministry statement said “the injured were in a stable condition.”

The derailing happened as the train was traveling through the city of Qalyub on its way to the city of Menouf in the Nile Delta, state prosecutors said.

Egypt’s national rail authority specified that the accident occurred when a passenger train entering Qalyub station went through a stop signal; leading to the derailment of the locomotive and the first carriage.

Police formed a perimeter to hold back crowds who perched on other walls nearby.

A crane was later brought in to lift a derailed car which appeared to be partially crumpled.

Egyptian rail accidents have mostly been blamed on poor infrastructure and maintenance.

In April 2021, the nation’s Transport Minister fired the rail authority’s head following an uproar over mismanagement of dilapidated train lines.