Egyptian authorities said on Tuesday that the country’s latest train accident has left 23 people dead, more than double the previously announced toll of 11.
They also raised the number of injured to 139, up from 98, and announced the detention of 23 railway officials and workers in connection with the Sunday accident.
The new death toll, announced by the chief prosecutor’s office, makes Sunday’s accident the deadliest in Egypt since February 27, 2019.
That day an engine laden with fuel slammed against a wall at Cairo’s main train station, igniting a ball of fire that killed at least 25 people and injured scores.
Sunday’s accident happened when several carriages of a train travelling in the Nile Delta north of Cairo overturned after they ran off the rails.
The derailment was blamed on exceeding the speed limit in an area where repair work was in progress.
It was Egypt's third train accident in less than a month, showing the challenges facing the government as it embarks on a multibillion-dollar programme to overhaul the largely unreliable and unsafe service.
Last week, two carriages from a train also travelling in the Nile Delta derailed, injuring 15 passengers and one rail worker.
On March 26, 20 people died and about 200 were injured when a train ran into another that was making an unscheduled stop in southern Egypt.
The government also announced the replacement of the troubled railway service's chief.
The Transport Ministry named Mustafa El Makarem as the new boss of the state-owned Railway Authority and gave him a one-year tenure.
He replaced Ashraf Shalaby, who becomes an adviser to the minister.
Mr El Makarem’s appointment was part of a sweeping overhaul of the railway’s top-tier management, replacing officials in charge of different sections of the government’s ambitious plans to upgrade the service.
“These appointments fit in with the next phase that requires promoting professionals to continue the drive for ongoing, comprehensive development of the railways and to offer a better service,” the ministry said.
Transport Minister Kamel Wazir, a former army general who has been in the job since 2019, has said accidents will continue to take place until an ambitious overhaul of the railway is completed.
Mr Wazir said passengers would face frequent delays to ensure safety while the work was under way.
The government has spent 40 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.55bn) on upgrading Egypt’s railway network in the past six years.
It plans to spend another 141bn pounds in the next few years to overhaul the service.
