A collision between two passenger trains in Egypt on Sunday resulted in at least seven fatalities and 112 injuries. The incident occurred 76 kilometers south of Cairo, and according to the Egyptian Ministry of Health, several of the injured are in critical condition.
Details of the Accident and Its Consequences
According to the information provided, one of the trains traveling from Giza to Fayoum collided with the rear of another train heading from Cairo to Aswan. This collision caused several carriages to derail, and emergency services were immediately dispatched to the scene to restore normal operations on the Cairo to Upper Egypt railway.
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The Egyptian National Railways requested emergency teams to clear the debris, but did not specify the time required to reopen the route. This incident once again raised concerns about rail transport safety in the country.
Presidential Directive and Ongoing Investigations
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi issued a directive calling for a swift investigation into the incident and emphasized that anyone found negligent should be held accountable. The Office of the Public Prosecutor of Egypt also announced that investigations are underway to determine the technical reasons behind the accident.
Egypt has one of the oldest and largest railway networks in the region, and deadly incidents within this system are common. However, the Egyptian government has spent billions of Egyptian pounds in recent years to modernize this network.
In one of the worst rail disasters in Egypt's history, a fire in 2002 in seven carriages of a crowded passenger train led to the deaths of at least 360 people. These incidents highlight the urgent need for improvements in the safety and regulatory systems of the country's rail transport.
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