Three people have been killed and more than 100 injured after a passenger train derailed while heading towards Cairo, Egypt’s health ministry confirmed.
The train, which had set off from the northern coastal city of Marsa Matruh, came off the tracks on Saturday between Fouka and Jalal stations. Seven carriages were derailed, with two overturning.
Emergency crews rushed the injured to two local hospitals, while Health Minister Dr Khaled Abdul Ghaffar visited the crash site and later those recovering in hospital. He offered condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a swift recovery.
The Egyptian National Railways Authority (ENRA) said an investigation is under way. Officials pledged that anyone found responsible would face punishment. Technical teams have been deployed to clear the wreckage and restore services.
Rail accidents in Egypt are not uncommon, often linked to years of underinvestment and poor infrastructure. One of the country’s worst tragedies occurred in 2002, when a fire on a train south of Cairo killed more than 370 people.
In Egypt, train derailment and crashes are common. The country’s aging railway system has also been plagued by mismanagement. Last October, a locomotive crashed into the tail of a Cairo-bound passenger train in southern Egypt, killing at least one person and injuring multiple others.
The government has recently announced initiatives to improve its railways. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said in 2018 some 250 billion Egyptian pounds, or $8.13 billion, would be needed to properly overhaul the country’s neglected rail network.
