At least 25 killed in Cairo railway station fire
CAIRO: At least 25 people have been killed and 50 others injured by a large fire at the main railway station in Egypt’s capital Cairo, state TV reported.
The National Railway Authority said a train collided with a concrete buffer stop at the central Ramses Station.
The train’s fuel tank reportedly exploded after the crash, setting a platform and nearby buildings alight. Several witnesses said they had seen fire coming out of the train’s engine before it crashed, causing an explosion and fires inside the station.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced from the station that the incident would be investigated and anyone found responsible held to account.
President Abdul Fattah Al Sisi extended his condolences to the families of those who died and pledged to ensure that the injured received the support they needed.
Egypt has one of the oldest and largest rail networks in the region and accidents causing casualties have been common.
Egyptians have long complained that successive governments have failed to enforce basic safety standards for the railways.
In August 2017, 43 people were killed and more than 100 injured when two passenger trains collided outside the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria.
The country’s deadliest
rail accident occurred near Cairo in 2002, when a fire ripped through an overcrowded passenger train, killing more than 370 people, the BBC news reported.