Seven Killed And 125 Injured As Two Trains Collide In Egypt’s Al-Ayyat

Seven people were killed and 125 injured when two passenger trains collided in Al-Ayyat, in Giza governorate south of Cairo, on Sunday, according to Egypt’s health ministry.

The Egyptian National Railways said train number 134, a Tahya Misr service from Giza to Fayoum, ran into the rear of train number 2010, travelling from Cairo to Aswan, between the Kafr Ammar and El Reqqa stations. Several carriages left the tracks. The authority did not give a cause.

Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said 72 ambulances took part in the evacuation and that hospitals had received 132 cases. Al-Wasta Central Hospital took 87, including three of the dead. Al-Ayyat Central Hospital received 34 and Atfih Central Hospital 11, including four of the dead. The bodies have been placed at the disposal of the public prosecution.

Most of the injured suffered bruises and abrasions, the ministry said, while others had fractures to the limbs, pelvis and spine, head and facial wounds, and chest and rib injuries.

By late on Sunday, 71 people had been discharged. Eleven were moved to Beni Suef University Hospital and Beni Suef Specialised Hospital for further treatment, and 43 remained in hospital under observation: 23 in Al-Ayyat, 13 in Al-Wasta and seven in Atfih. Deputy health minister Amr Kandil was sent to visit the injured.

Compensation raised

Islam Azzam, chairman of the Financial Regulatory Authority, ordered the insurance pool that covers railway and metro accidents to speed up payments to victims’ families. He raised compensation for deaths and total permanent disability as an exception, from EGP30,000 to EGP50,000, and said other injuries would be handled under existing rules once medical reports were submitted.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly offered condolences to the families of the dead and directed officials to give them full support.

The railway authority sent emergency teams and cranes to clear the wreckage and restore services in both directions on the Cairo-High Dam line.

Al-Ayyat was also the scene of the country’s deadliest rail disaster. In February 2002, fire swept through an overcrowded train travelling from Cairo to Upper Egypt, killing more than 360 passengers.

Rear-end collisions have recurred elsewhere. In March 2021, a passenger train ran into the back of another near Sohag, killing 18 people and injuring 200. Prosecutors later ordered the arrest of eight railway employees.