At least 3 killed, over 90 injured after passenger train derails in Egypt

The train derailed on Saturday as it travelled to the capital Cairo from the western Mediterranean province of Matrouh, on the country’s north coast, railway authorities said in a statement.

Seven of its wagons went off the tracks, with two of them overturning.

The Health Ministry detailed deaths and injuries, adding that 30 ambulances were dispatched to transfer the injured to hospitals.

The railway authorities’ statement said an investigation is now under way to determine the cause of the accident.

Train derailments and crashes are common in Egypt, where an ageing railway system has also been plagued by mismanagement.

Last October, a train crashed into the tail of a Cairo-bound passenger train in southern Egypt, killing at least one person and injuring multiple others.

In 2021, two trains collided in southern Egypt after someone activated the emergency brakes, killing at least 32 people and leaving more than 100 injured.

In recent years, the government has announced initiatives to improve its railways. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in 2018 that some 250 billion Egyptian pounds, or $5.16bn, would be needed to fully overhaul the country’s ailing rail network.