Freight train derails in Egypt, killing one

The train carrying grain was travelling in the northern Beheira province

A member of Egyptian security forces stands guard before an overturned passenger carriage at the scene of a railway accident in the city of Toukh in Egypt's central Nile Delta province of Qalyubiya on April 18, 2021. - The train accident north of Cairo on April 18 left 11 people dead and 98 others injured, after it derailed off its tracks heading northwards from the capital Cairo, the health ministry said, in the latest railway disaster. Eight carriages derailed off the tracks as the train headed to Mansoura, about 130 kilometres north of Cairo. (Photo by Ayman Aref / AFP)

An Egyptian soldier stands guard at an overturned passenger carriage after an accident in the city of Toukh, in Egypt's central Nile Delta province of Qalyubiya, in April 2021. AFP

Hamza Hendawi

Jun 22, 2022

A freight train travelling north of Cairo ran off the rails on Wednesday, smashing into a house and killing a woman, police and the Railways Authority said.

They said the train, loaded with grain, was travelling in the northern Beheira province when it was derailed, the reason for which was not immediately clear.

300,000 train passengers a day try to dodge fares on Egypt railways

Train accidents are not uncommon in Egypt, claiming hundreds of lives every year, mostly in accidents that go unreported.

Last year, a series of train accidents killed scores and injured hundreds, prompting the government to accelerate plans to upgrade the service, including buying new train and engine cars and overhauling the signal system.

Updated: June 17, 2023, 7:29 AM