A tragic railway accident in Egypt has left three people dead and 103 others injured after a train derailed while traveling from the northern coastal city of Marsa Matruh to Cairo.
The derailment occurred when seven of the train's carriages came off the tracks on Saturday, leading to the overturning of two carriages, as reported by the country’s health ministry.
Health Minister Dr Khaled Abdul Ghaffar expressed his condolences and prayers to the families of those who lost their lives while wishing a swift recovery for the injured.
Both the transport ministry and the Egyptian National Railways Authority (ENRA) are currently investigating the cause of the accident, which remains uncertain. ENRA has stated that any individuals found culpable will face repercussions.
Technical teams have been dispatched to clear the wreckage and restore train services as swiftly as possible. The tragic incident took place on a section of track between the Fouka and Jalal stations in the Marsa Matruh region.
Dr. Abdul Ghaffar personally visited the crash site to oversee the emergency response efforts and made rounds at local hospitals to check on the injured individuals.
All injured parties were transported to nearby hospitals, with the deceased under the control of public prosecutors. The recurrent nature of railway incidents in Egypt raises concerns, often attributed to inadequate maintenance and funding.
This incident evokes memories of a catastrophic train disaster in 2002, which resulted in over 370 fatalities due to a fire onboard a train south of Cairo.
