No fewer than three people have been killed and 103 others injured due to a train derailing while en route to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, the country’s health ministry has said.
The train was going from the northern seaside city of Marsa Matruh when seven of its carriages came off the rails at about 15:30 local time (12:30 GMT) on Saturday, with two carriages flipped, according to officials.
Health Minister Dr Khaled Abdul Ghaffar expressed his condolences and prayers to the martyrs’ families and wished those injured a speedy recovery.
The transport ministry and the Egyptian National Railways Authority (ENRA) are investigating the cause of the crash, which is still unknown.
According to officials, the incident occurred on a piece of track between the Fouka and Jalal stations, slightly east of Marsa Matruh in the Sahara.
The ENRA said in a statement that anyone found to be responsible for the derailment will face punishment.
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It also stated that technical crews and equipment had been dispatched to clean the wreckage and restore services as soon as feasible.
Speaking on behalf of Egypt’s transport ministry, it expressed condolences to the families of those slain.
Dr Abdul Ghaffar went to the crash scene to monitor the emergency reaction and later visited the injured at the hospital.
The health ministry reported that all of the injured were sent to two local hospitals by ambulance.
It also stated that the bodies of the three individuals were currently in the possession of public prosecutors.
Accidents on Egypt’s railway network occur often, owing to inadequate maintenance and a lack of investment.
One of the deadliest train tragedies happened in 2002, when a fire broke out aboard a train moving south of Cairo, killing over 370 people.
