Two carriages from a train travelling through Egypt's Nile Delta derailed, injuring 15 passengers but causing no fatalities, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.
The accident occurred near the town of Minya El Qamh in Sharqiyah province late on Wednesday night as the train, travelled from the capital Cairo to the northern coastal city of Mansoura.
Ashraf Raslan, head of the state-owned Railway Authority, said the derailment happened when the train was passing through an area where work was in progress to upgrade the signals system. He did not give the cause of the accident, saying only that an investigation was under way.
Unverified video footage of the aftermath of the accident showed the two carriages off the rails but not overturned, with dozens of onlookers and policemen milling about.
Wednesday's accident came less than three weeks after a train crash in southern Egypt killed 20 people and injured nearly 200, the deadliest train accident since 2019 when an engine car laden with fuel hit a wall at Cairo's main train station, igniting a fire that killed 22 people and injured scores more.
The initial findings of the March 26 train crash produced a catalogue of criminal negligence and inefficiency, shedding light again on the serious challenges facing the government as it attempts to modernise the mostly unreliable and antiquated rail service in a country of 100 million people.
Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir said accidents will continue to take place until an ambitious overhaul of the railway is completed, warning passengers of frequent delays to ensure safety while the work is under way.
The government spent 40 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.55bn) on upgrading Egypt's railway network in the past six years and plans to spend 141 billion pounds more in the next few years to overhaul the service.
