Two Trains Collide South of Cairo, Killing Seven and Injuring 114

Updated 17:22 UTC

Update: Egypt's Health Ministry raised the toll from the collision to seven people killed and 114 injured, Sky News reported. Al Jazeera reported seven people killed and more than 112 injured, also citing the Health Ministry. Reports citing Ahram Online and the updated ministry figures said seven people had died and 112 had been injured, and that 45 of the injured had been discharged after treatment. The earlier Health Ministry count, reported by Reuters, CNN and the Associated Press, was four people killed and 88 injured.

Developing story

Two passenger trains collided south of Cairo on Sunday, November 8, killing at least four people and injuring 88, Egypt's Health Ministry said.

The crash happened in the Al-Ayyat district of Giza province, between Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations. The Egyptian National Railways Authority said a train travelling from Giza to Fayoum hit the rear of another train heading from Cairo to Aswan. Several carriages derailed.

Reuters placed the collision about 76 kilometres, or 47 miles, south of Cairo. The Associated Press, citing the Transportation Ministry, placed Al-Ayyat about 52 kilometres south of the capital. Both reports gave the same trains, the same direction of travel and the same casualty figures from the Health Ministry.

Injured taken to hospitals in Giza

The Health Ministry said the injured were being treated in hospitals around Giza. Dozens of ambulances went to the scene to take passengers to nearby hospitals, Egyptian authorities said. The BBC reported that at least 72 ambulances attended.

State-owned media had earlier reported 120 people wounded, without giving details on how serious the injuries were. The Health Ministry figure of 88 injured is the count officials gave on Sunday as treatment continued. Authorities did not name the people who died, and they did not say how many passengers were on the two trains.

Emergency teams and cranes were sent to clear the wreckage. The railway authority said crews were working to restore services on the Cairo to Upper Egypt line. It gave no time for when trains would run normally again. Reports said services between Giza and Upper Egypt were suspended after the crash.

President orders an investigation

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered a swift investigation and said anyone found negligent should be held accountable, according to a statement reported by Reuters. He said he was following the accident with great concern.

Authorities said an investigation into the cause was under way. No cause was given on Sunday. Officials did not say whether the train ahead had stopped, slowed, or been held at a signal before it was hit from behind.

A district with a hard history

Al-Ayyat was the site of Egypt's worst rail disaster. In 2002, a fire on a train there killed more than 370 people, the BBC and other outlets noted in their reports on Sunday.

Egypt's railway system is the oldest in Africa and the Middle East, CNN reported, and it has a long history of deadly accidents. One of the best known came when a train lost control as it approached Ramses station in Cairo and caught fire, killing 25 people.

For now, the confirmed facts are narrow. Four people are dead, 88 are injured, two passenger trains collided on the line south from Cairo, and several carriages left the tracks. The toll, the cause, and the time the line will reopen all remain open questions as investigators work at the scene.