A passenger train plowed into the back of a stopped train south of Cairo, killing seven people and hurting more than 100, and Egypt’s president ordered a probe to find anyone who was negligent.
Story Highlights
- A Giza-to-Fayoum train hit the rear of a stopped Cairo-to-Aswan train in Al-Ayyat, south of Cairo.
- Seven people died, including one of the train drivers, and at least 125 were hurt, Egyptian authorities said.
- Several carriages jumped the tracks and tumbled down an embankment.
- President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered a fast investigation and said anyone found negligent will be held to account.
- Lawmakers called on Egypt’s transport minister to step down.
- Al-Ayyat has a grim history: in February 2002, a train fire in the same area killed hundreds of people, Egypt’s deadliest rail disaster.
Confirmed Casualties and Where It Happened
The crash happened on the afternoon of Sunday, November 8, between Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations in Al-Ayyat, a district of Giza province. Egypt’s railway authority said a train heading from Giza to Fayoum ran into the back of a Cairo-to-Aswan train that was standing still on the same track. Officials have not named a cause. Prosecutors set up a technical committee, a team of rail experts, to find out what went wrong, and President Sisi said anyone found to have been negligent must be held to account.
As of Monday, November 9, Egyptian authorities put the toll at seven dead and at least 125 injured. The health ministry said one of the train drivers was among those killed, and the public prosecutor’s office warned the number of dead could rise. Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said many of the injured had broken bones and head wounds. More than 70 people were treated and sent home, while others stayed in the hospital for care.
Emergency Response and Service Restoration
Ambulances raced the injured to nearby hospitals, and the health minister said 72 ambulances took part. The Egyptian Red Crescent, the country’s emergency aid group, gave first aid and comfort to shaken passengers. The railway authority sent emergency teams and cranes to lift the wrecked cars off the line. Train service between Giza and southern Egypt was halted while crews worked. By Monday morning, the railway authority said traffic on the line was running normally again.
Egypt’s financial regulator ordered the rail insurance fund to pay victims faster. As a special step, it raised the payment for each death or total permanent disability from 30,000 to 50,000 Egyptian pounds. Other injuries will be paid under the usual rules once medical reports are filed. Bodies of the dead were placed under the control of prosecutors as part of the investigation.
Recurring Safety Concerns on a Known Corridor
Al-Ayyat has a grim history. In February 2002, a fire tore through a crowded train in the same area and killed hundreds of people, Egypt’s deadliest rail disaster. In 2021, a train ran into the back of another near Sohag, in southern Egypt, killing at least 18. Critics say the country’s aging rail network has suffered for years from poor upkeep, even as the government spends billions on new transport projects.
That record fueled anger on Sunday and Monday. Lawmakers filed urgent motions to call Transport Minister Kamel el-Wazir before parliament, and a senator said it was time for him to resign. El-Wazir visited the crash site but had not spoken publicly as of Sunday night. The lesson is the same in every country: safe trains take firm management and real accountability, not promises. Prayers go out to the families as investigators work to find the cause.
Sources:
vanguardngr.com, apnews.com, dailynewsegypt.com, thenationalnews.com, cnn.com, detroitnews.com
