16 killed, almost 100 injured after train derails in Egypt
MOST SUFFER FROM BROKEN BONES, CUTS AND BRUISES AS 4 WAGONS RUN OFF
Apassenger train derailed yesterday north of Cairo, killing at least 16 people, Egyptian authorities said. It was the latest of several rail accidents to hit the country in recent years.
Four train wagons ran off the railway at the city of Banha in Qalyubia province, just outside Cairo, the railway authority said in a statement. Videos on social media showed wagons overturned and passengers escaping to safety along the railway.
The train was travelling to the Nile Delta city of Mansoura from the Egyptian capital, the statement said.
The Health Ministry said in a statement that besides the dead, at least 98 people were injured, with most of them suffering from broken bones, cuts and bruises.
At least 60 ambulances were sent to the scene and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals, the ministry added.
Salvage teams could be seen searching for survivors and removing the derailed wagons. It was not immediately clear what caused the train to derail. Prosecutors said they were investigating the causes of the crash. Last week, at least 15 people were injured when train carriages derailed in the Nile Delta province of Sharqia.
Yesterday’s train accident came three weeks after two passenger trains collided in the province of Sohag, killing at least 18 people and injuring 200 others, including children.
Prosecutors said they found that gross negligence by railway employees was behind the deadly March 25 crash, which caused public outcry across the country. Train wrecks and mishaps are common in Egypt, where the railway system has a history of badly maintained equipment and mismanagement. The government says it has launched a broad renovation and modernisation initiative.