A passenger train hit the back of another train on Sunday morning, 8 November, in Giza province, south of Cairo, and some carriages came off the tracks, Egypt's National Railway Authority said. A source at the Ministry of Transport confirmed that the driver of one train died. A total of 64 people were hurt.
Train No. 134, "Tahya Misr" ("Long Live Egypt"), was travelling from Giza to Fayoum. It ran into the last carriages of train No. 2010, which was going from Cairo to Aswan. The crash happened near Al Ayat, on the stretch between Kafr Amar and Ar Raqqa stations.
Reports say the number of dead and injured may rise.
The passengers were hurt because some carriages derailed. In all, 52 ambulances took the injured from the scene. Of the injured, 54 went to the hospital in Al Wasta and another 10 to the hospital in Al Ayat.
Health and population minister Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar put all health facilities in Giza and Beni Suef provinces on high alert. He also ordered medical and emergency care for all the injured. The health ministry is still monitoring the condition of those in hospital.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered an immediate inquiry into the causes of the crash, accountability for it, and medical care for all the injured. Prosecutors inspected the site and asked for a technical expert review.
The cause of the crash is not yet known. The inquiry must establish why the two trains ended up dangerously close to each other and whether railway traffic rules were broken. The inspection and expert review are continuing.
Rescuers, police and railway staff are working at the scene. The railway authority sent emergency crews and cranes, which are clearing the derailed carriages, moving the rest and getting trains running on the line again.
The line from Cairo to the High Dam near Aswan is affected in both directions. The railway authority said it is stepping up efforts to restore traffic and timetables as fast as possible. It also wished the injured a quick recovery.
The Ministry of Transport arranged other transport for passengers who need to pass through the affected sections. This lets people travelling on the line carry on with their journey until trains run normally again.
Social solidarity minister Dr Maya Morsy ordered work to start at once. The head of the Central Department for Social Protection is to act together with the director of the social solidarity department in Giza province and the Egyptian Red Crescent team. Their task is to be at the scene, follow what is happening and help the injured.
Egypt has had deadly train crashes before. In August 2017, 36 people died and more than 120 were hurt when trains collided near Alexandria. In 2018, dozens of people died when two trains collided in Beheira province.