2 killed, 16 injured after train derails in Egypt

Cairo, March 8

At least two people were killed and 16 others injured after a train derailed in Qalyub, a city in the Qalyubia Governorate about 23 km north of Egypt's capital Cairo.

Egypt's Health Ministry said that 10 of the 16 injured people were receiving medical treatment at the Qalyub Specialist Hospital, adding that their injuries were not life-threatening, Xinhua news agency reported.

The other six injured people were released after suffering minor injuries and bruises.

Meanwhile, Egyptian National Railways said in a statement that the train went through the "closed semaphore" at the Qalyub Train Station and headed toward a blocked railway before colliding with the protection at the end of the railway.

As a result, the locomotive and the first carriage were derailed, the statement said, adding the Egyptian Transportation Ministry formed a committee to investigate the accident.

Meanwhile, Egypt's Public Prosecutor also ordered an investigation into the Qalyub train collision.

Egypt's railway system has long been troubled by poorly maintained equipment and poor administration, which frequently results in train derailments and crashes. At least 32 people were killed in a train collision in 2021 in Tahta, a city in southern Egypt. Later that year, a train derailed in Qalyubia, killing 11 people.