Four people have been killed and 88 others injured after two trains collided in Egypt’s Giza Governorate, south of Cairo, according to authorities.
Egypt’s Railway Authority said a train travelling from Giza to Fayoum crashed into the rear of another train heading from Cairo to the southern city of Aswan, causing several carriages to derail.
The Ministry of Health said the initial death toll stood at four, while 88 injured passengers were receiving treatment at hospitals in the Giza area.
State-owned media had earlier reported that 120 people were injured, although it did not provide details of the severity of their injuries.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he was following the accident “with great concern” and had directed the relevant authorities to conduct an urgent investigation and “hold accountable anyone found to have been negligent.”
Emergency response teams deployed cranes to remove the wreckage, while authorities began investigating the cause of the collision.
The accident occurred in the Al-Ayyat area of Giza, which has previously recorded major railway disasters.
In 2002, more than 370 people died when fire swept through a train carrying holiday travellers south of Cairo. Several other fatal train accidents were also recorded in the area in 2009.
Egypt, with a population of about 110 million, relies heavily on rail transport. Its railway network, one of the largest in Africa, has experienced repeated deadly accidents.
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Over the past decade, the Egyptian Government has invested billions of dollars in transport infrastructure, including new highways and high-speed rail projects.
However, parts of the existing railway network remain ageing, highlighting the need for continued investment in safety improvements and modernisation.
