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Egypt Train Crash Kills Seven, Injures Over 100

Updated 10:53 PM ET · 12:45 PM ETConfirmedShare via:          

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In Short: According to the Egyptian authorities, a train traveling from Giza to Fayoum crashed into the rear of another train heading south from Cairo to Aswan.

Train collision in Egypt kills at least 7, injures over 100. USA TODAY

Two trains collided south of Cairo on Sunday, resulting in a major railway accident that left seven people dead and over 100 injured. The crash occurred in the Al-Ayyat area of Giza province, about 32 miles south of the Egyptian capital.

According to the Egyptian authorities, a train traveling from Giza to Fayoum crashed into the rear of another train heading south from Cairo to Aswan. The collision caused several carriages to derail, overturning at around 1:30 pm.

Witnesses at the scene described a chaotic scene. Abdel Wahed Mohamed, 31, who was sitting at a nearby cafe, said the Aswan-bound train had stopped when the Fayoum-bound train crashed into it. Another witness, Ahmed Moussa, 25, reported that rescuers had to dig beneath one overturned carriage to reach trapped passengers.

The Transportation Ministry launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, which occurred in the same area as Egypt's worst-ever rail disaster. The ministry stated that the train’s conductor was among those killed.

Footage from the scene showed derailed train carriages near Giza, with cranes deployed to remove the wreckage and restore railroad traffic.

The Egyptian National Railways Authority reported that the crash happened between Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations in Giza, close to Cairo.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• Abdel Wahed Mohamed, 31, who was sitting at a nearby cafe when the collision occurred, said the Aswan-bound train had stopped, when the Fayoum-bound train crashed into it.
• Authorities said they had launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, which occurred in Giza's Al-Ayyat area, the site of Egypt's worst-ever rail disaster.
• Egypt's railway authority said a train travelling from Giza to Fayoum crashed into the rear of another service heading south from Cairo to the city of Aswan.
• The crash happened in al-Ayyat district in Giza province, about 52 kilometers (32 miles) south of Cairo, when a train traveling to southwestern Fayoum province crashed into the rear of a train heading to the southern province of Aswan, according to the Transportation Ministry.
• Several train carriages were derailed after a train collided with the rear of another train between Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations in Giza, which is close to the capital, Cairo, according to the Egyptian National Railways Authority.
• AL-AYYAT, Egypt — A crash involving two trains south of Cairo on Sunday killed seven people and injured at least 125, authorities said.
• At least seven people were killed and over 100 were injured when two trains collided Sunday south of the Egyptian capital, Cairo, the Egyptian chief prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
• It also said the train’s conductor was among those killed.
• The crash happened in Al-Ayyat district in Giza province, about 32 miles south of Cairo, when a train traveling to the southwestern province of Fayoum crashed into the rear of a train bound for the southern province of Aswan, according to the Transportation Ministry.
• One of the trains derailed, it said, but did not specify which.

What's still developing

• WATCH: Shock, anger and mourning in Spain after 2nd major train crash this year The Chief Prosecutor's office said late Sunday its investigators had arrived at the site.

Sources

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