64 injured as passenger train derails in Giza, Egypt’s health ministry says

On Sunday, a devastating train collision south of Cairo, Egypt resulted in the tragic loss of four lives and left 88 others injured, according to official reports. The catastrophic accident occurred when a train en route from Giza to Fayoum collided with the rear of another service traveling south from Cairo towards Aswan. Egypt's railway authority disclosed that the disaster caused several train carriages to derail.

The health ministry initially reported four fatalities, while 88 individuals are currently receiving medical attention for their injuries in hospitals near the Giza area. State-run media had earlier claimed that 120 people were wounded, but did not specify the severity of the injuries sustained. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi expressed his grave concern over the incident and directed authorities to carry out a swift investigation to ensure that "anyone found to have been negligent" is held accountable.

Emergency response teams employed cranes to dismantle the wreckage resulting from the collision. Egypt's railway authority announced that they have initiated an investigation into the cause of the crash, which took place in Giza's Al-Ayyat area. This region was the site of Egypt's deadliest rail disaster in 2002, when a fire claimed the lives of over 370 people on a train carrying holiday travelers south of Cairo.

Another deadly train crash occurred in the same area in 2009, resulting in dozens of deaths. With a population of 110 million, Egyptians rely heavily on the extensive rail network, which is one of the largest in Africa. However, the railway system has experienced a series of fatal accidents over the past decade. Despite investing billions of dollars in upgrading transport infrastructure, including the construction of new highways and high-speed rail lines, much of the aging rail network remains unaddressed.