Egyptian media reported today (Friday) that in a collision between two trains north of the city of Suhag, 32 civilians were killed and at least 50 others were injured. Health authorities moved 36 ambulances to the scene to transport the injured to local hospitals as quickly as possible, the Egyptian Ministry of Health said.
The Egyptian Railway Authority has updated that the accident was caused after the emergency brakes were activated by unknown individuals and caused the first train to stop. The second train collided with it from behind and caused the two front carriages to derail.
“The trains collided while traveling not very high, which resulted in the destruction of two carriages and a third overturned,” a security source told Reuters.
The scene of a train accident in Egypt (Photo: REUTERS / Stringer)#BREAKING | Egyptian Prime Minister ordered to quickly transport the injured people in the Upper Egypt train collision to hospitals and provide them the medical service.#EgyptToday #BreakingNews #Egypt #Sohag | # طهطا # سوهاج # عاجل # قطارين pic.twitter.com/FDT2vSBPL3
– Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) March 26, 2021
Egypt has one of the oldest and largest train networks in the region, and accidents that cause casualties are common. Egyptian President al-Sisi referred to the fatal accident and wrote on his Twitter account that he pledged to put an end to it.
“I have been closely following the tragic accident we saw today, when two trains collided in Sohag province. The pain in our hearts today will only increase our determination to put an end to this type of disaster,” he promised. “I have instructed the Prime Minister and all relevant parties to be present at the accident site, to carry out ongoing monitoring and to inform me of any developments and reports related to the situation.”
Al-Sisi noted that “of course anyone who caused this painful accident, negligence, corruption, delay and procrastination or anything like that, without exception – will be appropriately punished for creating deterrence,” he added: “I support and hope for a speedy recovery. I have instructed the relevant agencies to take all necessary measures and provide adequate compensation to the families of the victims and the victims.”