Egypt train collision kills at least 32, injures dozens in latest deadly rail accident
- Local media displayed videos from the scene showing flipped wagons with passengers trapped inside and surrounded by rubble
- Egypt has been plagued with deadly train accidents in recent years that have been widely blamed on inadequate infrastructure and poor maintenance
At least 32 people were killed and 66 injured Friday when two trains collided in southern Egypt, the health ministry said, the latest deadly rail accident to hit the country.
A statement said dozens of ambulances rushed to the scene in the Tahta district of Sohag province, some 460 kilometres (285 miles) south of the capital Cairo.
“32 people were killed and 66 injured” and transported to hospital, the statement said.
The crash derailed three carriages, according to the health ministry and a local official. It was not immediately clear what caused one train to crash into the back of the other.
Egypt’s public prosecutor ordered an investigation into the accident, according to state-owned Nile Television. A statement from the railroad authority said unknown people had released the emergency brakes on one of the trains, causing the crash.
Local media displayed videos from the scene showing flipped carriages with passengers trapped inside and surrounded by rubble.
Some victims seemed unconscious, while others could be seen bleeding. Bystanders carried bodies, laying them out on the ground near the site of the accident.
On social media, videos circulated showing onlookers crowding around the site or clambering over the wreckage to search for survivors.