Egypt train crash kills at least 32 as number of injured rises to 165

Egypt's railway authority said one train made an unscheduled stop and was hit by another train from behind, overturning two carriages

People gather around the wreckage of two trains that collided in the Tahta district of Sohag province, some 460 kilometres (285 miles) south of the Egyptian capital Cairo, reportedly killing at least 32 people and injuring scores of others. AFP

People gather around the wreckage of two trains that collided in the Tahta district of Sohag province, some 460 kms (285 miles) south of the Egyptian capital Cairo. AFP

This image provided by Youm7 shows crowds of people inside a mangled train carriage at the scene of a train accident in southern Egypt. AP Photo

This image provided by Youm7 shows crowds of people gathered around mangled train carriages at the scene of a train accident in southern Egypt. AP Photo

People gather around the wreckage of two trains that collided in the Tahta district of Sohag province, some 460 kilometres (285 miles) south of the Egyptian capital Cairo. AFP

People stand atop a turned over train carriage as others inspect the scene of a train crash in Sohag province. EPA

People stand atop a turned over train carriage as others inspect the scene of a train crash in Sohag province. EPA

A blanket covers a victim surrounded by people inspecting the scene of a train crash in Sohag province. EPA

People inspect the scene of a train crash in Sohag province. EPA

People inspect the scene of a train crash in Sohag province. EPA

People inspect the scene of a train crash in Sohag province. EPA

Two passenger trains collided on Friday in southern Egypt, killing at least 32 people and injuring 165 in the country’s deadliest rail accident since 2019, authorities said.

Authorities said the crash occurred in Sohag province, about 400 kilometres south of the capital, Cairo.

A statement by the ministry did not give the cause of the crash, but Egypt's railway authority said the first train's emergency brakes were triggered by unknown individuals, causing the train to come to a stop.

It was not immediately known whether authorities suspected terrorism or vandalism. An investigation into the accident was under way.

The railway authority said that a train travelling from the city of Luxor in southern Egypt to Alexandria on the Mediterranean made an unscheduled stop in the Tahta area in Sohag.

Another train, approaching from behind, collided with it, overturning two carriages.

The engine of the second train, which was travelling from the southern city of Aswan to Cairo, was derailed.

The Health Ministry said 36 ambulances rushed to the scene of the collision. Pictures on local media showed train carriages derailed above a channel of water.

The majority of those injured, around 70 per cent, had suffered fractures, according to the Health Ministry.

Online video and images from the site, a rural area by the side of a canal, showed a chaotic scene, with dozens of civilians and members of rescue teams sifting through the wreckage looking for survivors. Bodies of victims were covered with sheets and laid next to the wreckage.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi extended his condolences to the families of those killed and said he had sent the country's prime minister, Mustafa Madbouli, to the site with instructions to keep him updated.

He vowed that anyone found to have caused Friday’s crash, whether through negligence or corruption, would be brought to justice.

"The pain in our hearts today will only increase our determination to put an end to this type of disaster," he wrote on social media.

Emergency service personnel and engineers worked through Friday night to clear five wrecked train carriages from the site.

Train accidents are not uncommon in Egypt, where the rail network is stretched thin and the signal system is antiquated. Egypt has spent 40 billion pounds ($2.55bn) on upgrading its railway network in the past six years and plans to spend 141 billion pounds more in the next few years.

“We have a long way to go,” Mr Madbouli told reporters about efforts to overhaul the railway system. “It is not a question of funding but rather the time it will take to upgrade the system. Regrettably, while we are doing this, accidents do happen, so we have no choice but to speed up the process of overhauling the system."

The UAE has expressed solidarity with Egypt over the train collision.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in extended condolences to the families of the victims and the country.

Friday's crash was the deadliest rail accident since February 2019 when an engine car laden with fuel hit a wall at Cairo's main train station, igniting a fire that killed 22 and injured scores.

In 2017, two passenger trains collided in northern Egypt, killing at least 41 people and injuring more than 120.

A trilateral summit between Egypt, Iraq and Jordan in Baghdad was postponed in the wake of the crash. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi announced the delay until the "near future" on Friday evening.

"We express our deepest condolences to the government & people of Egypt for the terrible train collision in Sohag. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and we wish the injured a speedy recovery," he posted on Twitter.