Egypt: volunteers distribute iftar meals to train crash survivors

Hundreds were stranded without food as the sun began to set on Sunday

A woman brings food for security forces to break their Ramadan fast at the scene of a train derailment that killed at least 11 people and injured about 100, near Banha, the capital of Qalyubia province, Egypt. AP Photo

Egyptian security forces prepare to break their fast at the scene of a train derailment near Banha, the capital of Qalyubia province, Egypt. AP Photo

People break their fast at the scene of a passenger train derailment near Banha, the capital of Qalyubia province, Egypt. AP Photo

People break their Ramadan fast hours after a passenger train derailed near Banha, the capital of Qalyubia province, Egypt. AP Photo

People break their fast as a crane lifts an overturned passenger coach at the scene of a railway accident near Banha, the capital of Qalyubia province, Egypt. AFP

After a train derailed in the town of Tookh, north of Cairo, residents from the nearby village of Kafr Al Hessa sprang into action to prepare and distribute Ramadan iftar meals and drinks for the injured and those that gathered to assist passengers.

The accident fell on the sixth day of Ramadan, the holy month where Muslims fast from from sunrise to sunset, abstaining from food and drink. Eleven people were killed and over 100 injured.

Images of women carrying trays loaded with food and men lifting cartons of water bottles as Egyptian security forces used a telescopic railway crane to lift an overturned passenger carriage were shared online and on local news.

Five of the train's carriages derailed around 2pm on Sunday as it travelled toward the city of Mansoura. The incident halted travel in both directions, resulting in traffic paralysis on the agricultural road overlooking the scene.

A technical committee has been formed to determine the cause of the accident, Egypt's Minister of Transport Kamel Al Wazir said on a visit to the site.

The majority of the injured were taken to Benha Hospital with injuries ranging from fractures to cuts and abrasions, Dr Khaled Mujahid, Assistant Minister of Health and Population for Information and Awareness said.

Last Wednesday, two carriages from a train also travelling north of Cairo 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 train making an unscheduled stop in southern Egypt.