Seven people were killed and at least 125 injured when two trains collided on Sunday south of Cairo, officials said, according to the Guardian. The crash occurred in al-Ayyat district in Giza province, about 50km (30 miles) south of Cairo, when a train travelling to Fayoum province struck the rear of a train heading to Aswan, the transport ministry said.
An inspection indicated the Cairo-Aswan train had been stationary on the same track. The health ministry gave the casualty toll and said more than 70 of the injured were discharged after treatment. Survivors at al-Wasta central hospital said passengers were in shock and struggling to breathe from the dust, and that nearby villagers got them out.
Ayman Gamal, a resident of Kafr Girza in al-Ayyat, said people rushed to the scene, pulled out survivors and called ambulances. He said he saw about 80 injured people taken to hospital, and that some passengers trapped in a carriage of the stationary train died. Farha Gamal, a survivor inside the Fayoum train, said she saw passengers who appeared dead. "There were other cars that were completely mangled," she said.
President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi said in a social media post that he ordered a prompt investigation. Emergency teams and cranes were dispatched to clear the wreckage and restore services. Train crashes are common in Egypt, where the railway system has a history of mismanagement and poor maintenance; last September two freight trains collided in the same district.