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MapSeven Killed, More Than 112 Injured After Two Trains Collide in Egypt’s Giza Province
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At least seven killed and more than 100 injured in Giza train collision. A train from Giza to Fayoum rear-ended a Cairo-Aswan service near Al-Ayyat.
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Collision Near Al-Ayyat
Two trains collided in Egypt’s Giza province on Sunday, killing seven people and injuring more than 112 others, according to the Health Ministry and the Egyptian Chief Prosecutor’s office statement. The crash occurred in al-Ayyat district, about 52 kilometers south of Cairo, when a train traveling to the southwestern Fayoum province crashed into the rear of a train heading to the southern province of Aswan, authorities said. The Public Prosecution Office said it determined that the front of the train travelling from Giza to Fayoum crashed into the back of the Cairo-Aswan rail service, after the Cairo-Aswan service had stopped on the tracks.
The Egyptian Railway Authority dispatched emergency teams and cranes to clear the wreckage and restore train services to their normal schedule as soon as possible. The BBC said initial estimates put seven people, including the driver of the Giza to Fayoum train, dead and 114 injured, while the Health Ministry said 112 people had been injured.
Injuries, Ambulances, Hospitals
The Ministry of Health said 112 people were injured, and the Public Prosecution Office said investigators would examine the damaged carriages, tracks, surrounding area and work to identify any "shortcomings" in operational procedures and safety measures.
The Cadena SER report said the Ministry of Health stated that the toll of the railway accident in Al Ayat rose to 112 injured and seven deceased, and it said 45 patients had been discharged after an improvement in their condition.
The Cadena SER report said 72 ambulances were mobilized, with 49 injured transferred to Al Wasta Hospital in the Beni Suef governorate, 29 to Al Ayat Hospital, and the remaining ten at Al Ayat Hospital in Giza.
The BBC said Egypt’s Health Minister Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar ordered all health facilities in the Giza and Beni Suef governorates to raise their level of preparedness and provide all necessary medical and emergency support.
The BBC quoted the Public Prosecution Office saying it would work to determine the circumstances that caused the crash, as heavy machinery was dispatched to the crash site to remove the overturned carriages.
Investigation and Accountability
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi ordered a prompt investigation into the crash to hold those responsible accountable, and the Egyptian Railway Authority said emergency teams and cranes were dispatched to clear the wreckage. The BBC said the Public Prosecution Office launched a formal investigation and that investigators would examine the damaged carriages, tracks, surrounding area and work to identify any "shortcomings" in operational procedures and safety measures. The AP News report said the Egyptian Chief Prosecutor’s office statement also said the train’s conductor was among those killed.
The BBC reported that Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir was visiting the site, and it said there had been calls for him to resign due to the frequency of fatal train crashes in Egypt. The Al-Ayyat district’s history of rail disasters remained part of the context, with the BBC noting that in 2002 more than 370 people were officially reported killed when a fire engulfed a passenger train travelling from Cairo to Luxor.