Egypt train crash: Transport minister urged to resign after seven killed and 114 injured

A passenger train collision in Egypt resulted in at least seven deaths and 112 injuries on Sunday, according to the country's health ministry. The incident occurred 76 kilometers south of Cairo, when a train en route from Giza to Fayoum collided with another heading from Cairo to Aswan, causing several carriages to derail, Egypt's railway authority reported.

Emergency crews are working to clear the wreckage and restore train services on the Cairo-Upper Egypt line, though the duration of these efforts is yet unknown. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered a rapid investigation, stating that any negligent parties should be held accountable, as stated in a separate official statement.

Egypt's public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation to ascertain the technical causes of the crash. The country, which boasts one of the oldest and largest railway networks in the region, experiences accidents resulting in casualties with some regularity. Despite this, the government has invested billions of Egyptian pounds in the modernization of the network.

The worst rail disaster in Egypt's history took place in 2002, when a fire engulfed seven carriages of an overcrowded passenger service, claiming the lives of at least 360 individuals.